Elly De La Cruz is barely three weeks into the season and already playing like he owns the neighborhood. On Tuesday, the Cincinnati shortstop did something no one at his position had pulled off in more than 100 years: through the Reds' first 16 games, he had already stacked at least five home runs and five stolen bases. That combo of pop and near-elite speed has turned the 24-year-old into a nightly headache for opposing pitchers and catchers, and must-see TV for Reds fans.
The Reds themselves cranked up the buzz by posting the stat on social media, calling De La Cruz the first Major League shortstop since 1900 to reach that 5-and-5 mark so early in a season, as reported by WKRC Local12. Once the club hit send, national outlets quickly scooped it up and ran with the history angle, and the hype machine did the rest.
Strip away the headlines and the box-score numbers are still loud. Through 17 games, De La Cruz is hitting .284 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .912 OPS, 10 RBIs and 37 total bases in 67 at-bats, according to ESPN. That is more than a cute early-season hot streak. If he keeps handling left-handed pitching and stays on the field, those numbers look a lot like sustainable star-level production.
De La Cruz, 24 and already a two-time All-Star, is exactly the kind of high-ceiling talent the Reds have chosen to build around, per the team's official player page. His rare mix of size, arm strength and top-tier sprint speed has already sparked bursts of MVP chatter in smaller samples. The obvious next step, and the one everyone in Cincinnati is waiting on, is proving he can keep this level over a full season.
On Pace For A 50-50 Season?
With a start this loud, the projections have gone from optimistic to borderline wild. Some writers and fans are already tossing around the idea that De La Cruz could chase a 50-homer, 50-steal campaign, something that would have sounded like a fantasy not long ago. Only Shohei Ohtani has ever completed a 50/50 season in MLB history, as detailed by Sporting News. Of course, 16 games is a tiny slice of a 162-game grind, and any talk of milestones still comes with the usual fine print about health and plate discipline.
What This Means For Cincinnati
Even when he is not leaving the yard, De La Cruz changes the geometry of a game. His presence at the plate and on the bases forces defenses to shift, nudges pitchers to alter their sequencing and creates extra run-scoring chances simply by reaching base. Sports Illustrated has spotlighted that wider strategic impact, noting how rare it is to have a player who can both clear the fence and manufacture runs with his legs.
For a Reds team still searching for steady, night-to-night offense, that kind of all-fields, all-phases influence can be just as valuable as any single late-inning blast. It is still early, and De La Cruz's ultra-aggressive approach is going to come with some wild swings in performance, but Cincinnati is riding a history-bending start that has both fans and statheads buzzing. If he maintains even a portion of this level, the Reds have their centerpiece for the long haul.
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