Elly De La Cruz wows with his speed and his power as the Reds beat the Brewers
Cincinnati Reds third base coach J.R. House has only tried to slow down shortstop Elly De La Cruz once. Last June, as De La Cruz ran from first-to-home in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, House put up the stop sign and De La Cruz ran right through it to score on a close play at the plate.
“I tried to stop him and he ran right over me and scored anyway,” House said. “I don’t think I’m going to get in the way.”
There’s no stopping De La Cruz, who says he’s always thinking about taking the extra base. On Monday, in a 10-8 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park, House knew that De La Cruz was about to hit an inside-the-park home run at the same time as De La Cruz did.
In the bottom of the seventh inning on Monday, De La Cruz hit a low line drive up the middle. Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick, a standout defender, tried to make a lunging catch. But the ball got by him, and De La Cruz took off.
Immediately, House started waving his arm.
“I thought it would be close,” House said. “But I wanted to take a shot. Out of anyone on the planet, he’s the one to take it with.”
On Monday, De La Cruz had the type of amazing performance that the Reds have gotten used to. The 22-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop won Monday’s game for the Reds. All of his incredible tools were on display.
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His speed forced two throwing errors, he stole third, scored from first base on a bunt and hit a 450-foot home run off the batter’s eye as the Reds built a 9-3 lead. Then when the Brewers whittled the lead down to one run, De La Cruz’s inside-the-park homer brought the momentum back on the Reds’ side.
“That electrifies a stadium,” De La Cruz said. “That’s what I like. The fans like it, and I like it.”
On the first day of spring training, Reds manager David Bell named De La Cruz the team’s starting shortstop. He has hit sixth and played shortstop in every game this season, and the plan was to let De La Cruz get comfortable in a consistent role.
The Reds have made a lot of decisions already this year that are focused on De La Cruz’s development. Even though he’s still figuring out who he is as a big leaguer, the Reds want to give De La Cruz the best chance possible to become the best player he can be.
Bell doesn’t want De La Cruz to change who he is. The entire way, he has encouraged De La Cruz to stay aggressive, play with emotion and be himself, even when De La Cruz is struggling at the plate.
“It’s easy when you have guys you believe in,” Bell said. “You don’t want them to change. You want them to be exactly who they are. Part of that is improving, learning and adjusting along the way. That’s what Elly is doing.”
Second baseman Santiago Espinal has only been with the team for two weeks, so he’s still getting used to how De La Cruz’s speed can change the game. On Monday, Espinal decided to go for a bunt hit with De La Cruz on first base.Espinal likely had no idea that a bunt could lead to a run in that scenario.
Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz’s throw to first bounced away from Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins, and De La Cruz was off to the races.
Over the last year, De La Cruz has invented new ways to score runs.
“I always think about the next base,” De La Cruz said. “That’s my mentality. Always.”
Then in the bottom of the fifth inning, De La Cruz hit a 450-foot homer off the batter’s eye and delivered one of the most impressive swings of the Reds season. De La Cruz got the pitch he was looking for, and he crushed it like he was participating in a home run derby.
This swing against the Brewers was especially meaningful following his slow start to the season. De La Cruz entered the game with a .242 batting average and a .718 OPS, and he hadn’t had a hot stretch yet at the plate.
De La Cruz had a few impressive at-bats under his belt, but he hadn’t led the team to a win yet or provided a big game-changing hit. There have been several memorable negative moments, like two critical errors in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and a strikeout with the bases loaded against the New York Mets.
“Cincinnati is truly blessed with a real superstar,” Reds outfielder Will Benson said. “He doesn’t change. Regardless of what he’s going through or how he’s playing, he’s a genuine treat to be around and an amazing teammate and person. He’s a great player. He’s a superstar because he’s the same guy every day.”
The Reds’ lineup entered Monday’s game in a slump, and they were badly missing some of their best right-handed hitters. Without Noelvi Marte and Matt McLain, the Reds don’t have as much right-handed power in the lineup. So far this year, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeimer Candelario have been in terrible slumps and entered the series against the Brewers with sub-.200 batting averages.
On top of all of that, second baseman Jonathan India was struck with a ground ball as he did fielding drills near the Reds’ dugout during batting practice on Monday.
For the Reds offense to bounce back, they needed someone to step up. De La Cruz got the ball rolling with his speed, and he delivered another blow with his power.
Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, De La Cruz combined his power with his speed for the first inside-the-park homer of his young MLB career.
The fastest man in baseball whipped around second base. The relay throw from the outfield was on its way home before De La Cruz touched third base, but House sent him home anyway.“Elly is the fastest guy I’ve ever played with,” Reds first baseman Nick Martini said. “It’s electric, and it’s special.”
De La Cruz ran from home-to-home in just 14.96 seconds and beat the throw by a step.
During the offseason, De La Cruz worked with base running coach Collin Cowgill and the Reds’ sports science team to make his routes around the bases even more efficient.
The goal was to create more opportunities for inside-the-park home runs in 2024, and every step from De La Cruz mattered as he scored on Monday.
“He’s quick, man,” said Reds outfielder Bubba Thompson, who’s also one of the fastest players in MLB. “It’s a sight to see. It’s exciting to just watch him run every single day and play alongside him. It’s a blessing.”
When De La Cruz had a challenging start to the 2024 season, his teammates and his coaches didn’t make much of it. They didn’t want him to simplify his swing too much and take fewer chances.
They wanted him to be Elly De La Cruz. He finished Monday’s game with a .297 batting average and a .961 OPS. His unique talent can carry a team, and De La Cruz played that role on Monday.
“The exciting part is to watch Elly run,” Bell said. “It’s incredible. At the same time, we’re looking at the at-bats he had to get in those positions. He’s working so hard at it. It’s nice to see it pay off.”
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elly De La Cruz leads Cincinnati Reds to win over Milwaukee Brewers
