Shortstop Ellie De La Cruz is one of the most anticipated prospects in all of baseball, and the wait is over for Reds fans to see him play in the majors.
De la Cruz is already here.
De La Cruz is hitting .297/.398/.633 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 38 games with Louisville this year. His season began on April 20 after spending time on the disabled list with a sore left hamstring suffered during his initial training camp with Cincinnati’s big team.
Since returning from injury, De La Cruz has routinely impressed Louisville with his five-tool skills. This year is attached Hardest win in all of professional baseball, with a Statcast-recorded muzzle velocity of 118.8 miles per hour. In total, in the same game, he had three touchdowns over 116 mph.
In early May, De La Cruz was playing third base Shot 99.2 mph For first base, the record was the fastest at the time in Triple-A or the Major Leagues.
On June 2, De La Cruz’s 10.97-second sprint from home plate to third base tied him for the third-most home runs recorded at the Triple-A or major league level in 2023.
De La Cruz will most likely play shortstop for the Reds, but can also play third base. Another prospect, Matt McClain, has been playing shortstop for Cincinnati since being called up on May 15. McClain mostly played second base in Louisville while De La Cruz was at shortstop. If the Reds follow suit, they could move second baseman Jonathan India to the hot corner. India have been fielding ground balls at number three during practice recently.
In spring camp, De La Cruz already received the number 44, which previously belonged to his great mentor Eric Davis in the Reds.
Not since outfielder Jay Bruce was called up on May 27, 2008, has the Reds had such a buzz for a position player moving forward. Bruce, then 21–like De La Cruz–received the No. 1 prospect. Full game at the time of his promotion. He hit the field in his first week, hitting .577 with three home runs in his first seven major league games.
Now, De La Cruz will be able to test his skills at the highest level of the game and his appearances are expected to be must-sees in Cincinnati…and beyond in the Queen City.
