One of baseball’s most exciting prospects is going to the Majors. Elly De La Cruz, the fourth-ranked prospect on MLB.com, has gotten the call from the Cincinnati Reds, where he’s presumably set to make his debut later tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cruz typically handles shortstop and third base but has played all over the infield in the minor leagues. With the type of tools that Cruz has, it won’t really matter where the Reds have him play in the field. His rocket arm, capable of making 100+ mph throws, plays anywhere on the diamond.
His speed allows Cruz to cover a lot of ground in the infield while also being an absolute terror on the basepaths, stealing 47 bases last season. All of these traits are exciting, but we haven’t even gotten to the Reds’ top prospect’s bat yet.
Cruz also hits moonshots and actually has hit more 116+ mph balls than any other MLB player so far this season. In other words, when Cruz makes contact, the ball flies off the bat.
The 6-foot-5 switch-hitter dominated at the AAA level, and now the 21-year-old former Dominican Republic signee will get his first chance to do the same with the Reds.
- Elly De La Cruz stats in minor leagues this season: .298/.398/.633/1.031, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 11 SB
Utility man Nick Senzel was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move, giving Cruz his first taste of the big leagues.
Elly De La Cruz is one of the most intriguing prospects in baseball. His otherworldly skillset has even led to some referring to him as a ‘Create-A-Player’ only seen in video games from gamers creating mutants in MLB: The Show. A true five-tool prospect, the Reds fanbase has a lot to be excited about with this one.
Related: MLB trade candidates 2023: Shane Bieber, Shohei Ohtani headline players to watch