\u201cGood Vibes Only\u201d practitioner<\/a>, but also that of third baseman Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes, one of the sport\u2019s top defenders whom the Reds acquired last July.<\/p>\nNo longer simply a Statcast monster, De La Cruz is evolving into one of the sport\u2019s best all-around players. Rather than just chase metrics, he\u2019s chasing results.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz, who declined comment for this story, still hits the ball harder and throws it harder than just about any other position player. His maximum exit velocity of 116.3 mph is in the top one percent of the league. His average exit velocity of 94 mph is in the top four percent. He also has four of the top five fastest-tracked throws by an infielder since 2015, including one at 101 mph.<\/p>\n
The introduction of such information in the past decade has changed the way some baseball people and even fans view players, increasing the emphasis on physical tools. Statcast achievements create viral moments, circulated to great fanfare on social media. The elite players, though, are the ones who learn to navigate the day-to-day grind, and maintain a high level of performance over 162 games.<\/p>\n
The process is not simple.<\/p>\n
For most players, it takes time. But Reds people rave not only about the player De La Cruz is becoming, but also about how he is making himself into that player. Through getting proper rest. Refining his pregame routines. Focusing on his individual game in a team concept while continuing to play every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the other side, it was always like, \u2018OK, he\u2019s such a dynamic player.\u2019 It\u2019s explosive. It\u2019s spurts of, \u2018Oh my gosh, he hit that ball so hard.\u2019 Or, \u2018Wow, he was first to third in seven steps,\u2019 blah, blah, blah,\u201d said Reds first baseman\/DH Nathaniel Lowe, who is in his first year with the club. \u201cIt was always like the highlight type plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the more I\u2019m around him now, he understands the consistency is what\u2019s going to make him great. The highs are obviously really high. But his lows need to be at a higher standard if he\u2019s going to be the No. 1 shortstop when it\u2019s time to get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
That day is not likely to come anytime soon.<\/p>\n
Under baseball\u2019s current labor rules, De La Cruz is not eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season. The chances of him signing a contract extension with the Reds, meanwhile, are almost nonexistent. De La Cruz, represented by Scott Boras, turned down a contract offer in the spring of 2025 that would have exceeded the club record, 10-year, $225 million extension Joey Votto signed in 2012.<\/p>\n
Until he hits the open market, all De La Cruz can do is continue elevating his play. His growth isn\u2019t just reflected in his five straight multi-hit games, his .295 batting average, 10 home runs and .876 OPS, or even by his rank in fWAR, which was fifth among position players prior to Wednesday. It\u2019s reflected in the way he is playing the game.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz led the majors with 67 stolen bases in 2024. This season, he has only nine, and the Reds are fine with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not trying to steal bases just to steal bases,\u201d Reds general manager Nick Krall said. \u201cHe\u2019s trying to steal bases but to be safe in good situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
A year ago, De La Cruz ranked 26th among shortstops in Outs Above Average. This season, he is tied for third. His feet are quicker. His internal clock is better. His throws are more accurate.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not really so much worried about the metrics of throwing the ball 100 (mph) anymore,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cHe\u2019s just getting outs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Offensively, too, De La Cruz is making strides, silencing talk that he needs to stop switch-hitting by improving dramatically from the right side.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s maturing,\u201d Reds manager Terry Francona said recently on The Athletic\u2019s \u201cStarkville\u201d podcast. \u201cIt\u2019s not that he was immature, but when you start to get 1,000-1,200 at-bats, good players start to get better, start to figure it out. The game slows down a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
De La Cruz recently surpassed 1,800 at-bats in the majors, and, yes, part of his development is simply the byproduct of experience. Defensively, though, it might also be the byproduct of his reluctance to pay each of his fellow infielders $20 if he makes a mistake in practice.<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez, 34, said he created the infield competition with Votto and shortstop Zack Cozart during his first stint with the Reds from 2015 to \u201820. He then brought it to the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks and back to the Mariners again before reviving it with the Reds, even though he re-signed with them in February mostly to be a DH.<\/p>\n
Hayes, a two-time Gold Glove winner, would appear the obvious favorite among the Reds\u2019 current group, but said the payouts \u201care all still pretty even, for the most part.\u201d Su\u00e1rez disputed that, saying recently, \u201cTo be honest, I\u2019m the only guy who has not missed one yet. They don\u2019t like when I yell at them in front of everybody, \u2018Pay my money! Pay my money!\u2019 They get mad at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
But seriously, Geno, about Elly\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI want him to be focused, not miss one,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cCompete in practice, do that in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, De La Cruz will always be defined by his knack for the spectacular, whether Statcast captures it or or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great player, man,\u201d Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said. \u201cHe can change any game, in any aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
On April 28, in a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies, De La Cruz took over as only he can, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a defensive play that left both his teammates and opponents dumbfounded.<\/p>\n
The play happened in the second inning, with the Rockies\u2019 Tyler Freeman on first base. Kyle Karros hit a high bouncer deep into the shortstop hole. Hayes moved to his left and leapt for the ball, only to see it bound over his head.<\/p>\n
Racing into the hole, behind Hayes, De La Cruz fielded a short hop on his backhand. His momentum carried him toward the third base line for three steps. He then turned and threw across his body to nail Karros at first.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of the box, I thought Hayes would snag it,\u201d Karros said. \u201cOnce it got over his head, that\u2019s a hit all day in my book. Elly grabs it and, \u2018I\u2019m like dang that\u2019s a hell of a play, but he ain\u2019t making that throw.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made the throw.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Reds backup catcher Jose Trevino, the physical aspects of the play \u2014 De La Cruz getting to the ball, gloving it and firing it to Sal Stewart at first \u2014 weren\u2019t the most impressive part.<\/p>\n
Upon completing his throw, De La Cruz continued on to third to cover the bag. Hayes was out of position after moving into the hole, creating a potential opening for Freeman to advance. De La Cruz closed off that possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoah,\u201d Trevino told his teammates in the dugout, \u201cthat\u2019s pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two days later, De La Cruz made another jaw-dropping play, sprinting from shortstop to the other side of the second-base bag, then diving for a grounder by the Rockies\u2019 TJ Rumfield and retiring him at first.<\/p>\n
Before the league restricted infield shifts in 2023, shortstops often occupied the spot where De La Cruz fielded the ball. The new limits stifle most players. De La Cruz\u2019s range is so vast, he effectively plays outside the lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen somebody throw somebody out from short right field being the shortstop,\u201d Francona said.<\/p>\n
Trevino still talks about a spring training game in 2025, his first season with the Reds. He had spent the previous three years with the New York Yankees, the last of those as teammates with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, two of the game\u2019s biggest stars. And on the front end of a double steal, De La Cruz showed why he was special in his own way.<\/p>\n
As De La Cruz took off for third, the catcher threw behind him, trying to get the runner heading to second. Nothing unusual there. But by the time the second baseman tagged the runner, De La Cruz already was rounding third, coming home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second baseman gets up, looks at home and Elly is already sliding,\u201d Trevino recalled. \u201cI was like, \u2018What just happened?\u2019 There was no throw at all. I had never seen that before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, in the Reds\u2019 dugout, hardly anyone reacted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Guys, no one is going to say anything about that?\u2019 That was the coolest thing I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Trevino recalled. \u201cEveryone in the dugout was like, \u2018Get ready, we see that all the time. That won\u2019t be the coolest thing you\u2019ll see.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Sure enough, it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But De La Cruz\u2019s unique talent creates unique challenges for him as a player, leaving him both blessed and cursed. He is capable of so much that he risks becoming a prisoner of his own gifts, creating expectations for the atypical to become the norm.<\/p>\n
\u201cElly\u2019s always gonna have to battle. His tools are so exceptional, people say, \u2018Well, this is what he could be, or this is what he can do,\u2019\u201d Francona said. \u201cI just keep telling him, \u2018Just play the game right, and in the confines of playing the game right, your tools are gonna show through.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Krall, the Reds\u2019 GM, remembers the talk from two years ago. Elly can\u2019t hit batting right-handed. Elly should stop switch-hitting. At the time, De La Cruz was just 22. The Reds were not about to abandon him holding the platoon advantage in every plate appearance when he was still so young.<\/p>\n
Even last season, De La Cruz\u2019s splits were massive, .850 from the left side, .618 from the right. This season, though, he has hit better right-handed. And while mechanics are part of it \u2014 De La Cruz has kept the leg kick he restored in the final two weeks of 2025, replacing the toe tap he used most of the season \u2014 the bigger change is in his approach.<\/p>\n
Not in his body. In his mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the right side, honestly, there hasn\u2019t been a ton of intervention with the swing,\u201d said Reds hitting coach Chris Valaika, who is in his second year with the club. \u201cIt\u2019s been very tactical. It\u2019s been looking to be on the attack from pitch one. Being a little more intentful with what he\u2019s looking for and going up there to get your swing off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Valaika said De La Cruz would fall into a pattern from the right side last season, getting behind in counts, then hitting a lot of groundballs. This season, he has hit five of his 10 homers batting right-handed. Only Yordan Alvarez and Jo Adell have hit more home runs against left-handed pitching. And all five of De La Cruz\u2019s homers have been within the first four pitches<\/a> of his at-bat.<\/p>\nOverall, De La Cruz\u2019s OPS is 1.015 versus left-handed pitchers, .829 against righties. He is on pace to hit 38 home runs, 13 more than his career-high. Which is where the return of his leg kick, from both sides of the plate, comes in.<\/p>\n
After leading the majors with 218 strikeouts in 2024, De La Cruz ditched his leg kick for a toe tap at the start of last season, simplifying his move, allowing him to see the ball better. The adjustment worked. He hit 18 home runs before the All-Star break and also reduced his strikeout rate, from his previous 32 percent career mark to 24 percent.<\/p>\n
His numbers, though, fell off after the break. Physically and emotionally, it was a difficult time. De La Cruz played through a left quad strain. He also was dealing with the loss of his older sister, Genelis, who died last May 31 after prolonged health issues.<\/p>\n
In the final two weeks, De La Cruz went back to the leg kick and again got hot. Over the winter, Valaika said the Reds challenged him to stay more aggressive. His strikeout rate has increased slightly as a result. But so has his power.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a more athletic and more dynamic move from him,\u201d Valaika said. \u201cThe strides he made with controlling the strike zone last year have, in turn, allowed him to get back to the leg kick. He has better plate discipline and can really tap into the special things that he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
De La Cruz\u2019s improved plate discipline shows not only in his walk rate, which is right around league average, but in his overall selectivity. His swing rate is at a career-low.<\/p>\n
Twice in four games at the start of the month, he struck out looking. To Lowe, it actually was a sign of progress.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz had a plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s ok sacrificing at-bats, instead of just, \u2018OK, I\u2019m just going to swing at everything,\u2019\u201d Lowe said. \u201cIf he\u2019s punching out looking, he\u2019s committing to something.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not just out there playing bottle cap broom ball. Which he could probably do and still hit .250 with 25 homers. But he understands the more mature he is at the plate, the more he commits to his pitch, his process long-run definitely is going to pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez and Benavides both use the same word to describe De La Cruz: \u201cCoachable.\u201d But earlier this season, Su\u00e1rez issued the younger player a warning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sometimes feel comfortable with yourself. But don\u2019t be too comfortable,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re too comfortable, that\u2019s when you create bad habits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez isn\u2019t necessarily worried that will happen. He likes that De La Cruz listens, pays attention and asks questions. And if De La Cruz\u2019s sheer desire to play is any indication, he does not appear the type to grow complacent.<\/p>\n
Since his debut on June 6, 2023, De La Cruz has appeared in 463 of the Reds\u2019 469 games, or 98.7 percent. He was out of the lineup last June 6 when he was returning from the Dominican Republic, where he was mourning the death of his sister, and his flight was canceled. The game was suspended and he pinch-hit in the eighth inning and finished at shortstop when it resumed. The last game he missed entirely was on July 29, 2024.<\/p>\n
At last year\u2019s Winter Meetings, Francona talked about giving De La Cruz an occasional break, saying, \u201cI didn\u2019t do a very good job of that (last season), and I own up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But De La Cruz, thus far, has started every game. Upon getting removed from a 17-7 loss in Pittsburgh on May 2, Francona said, \u201che looked like he wanted to smack me in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was around last year when he wasn\u2019t 100 percent. And he was like, \u2018Nope, I\u2019m ready to go,\u2019\u201d Trevino said. \u201cThere are no breaks with this guy. Your star player, the guy heading the spear of this organization, he\u2019s out there every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stardom can be intoxicating, particularly for a player as young as De La Cruz. But his ego appears to be in check, even as he recognizes his stature is growing.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz knows people are watching him and understands his influence on others, Trevino said. In a recent game, he wore two different cleats. Trevino said the next time his son\u2019s team plays in a tournament, he would not be surprised to see the entire team team doing the same.<\/p>\n
Such is De La Cruz\u2019s allure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a positive, happy person that people want to gravitate toward him,\u201d Valaika said. \u201cHe\u2019s so confident in his own way. But you wouldn\u2019t know it with how he carries himself, how he talks to people. It\u2019s not this chest out, I\u2019m bigger than anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
What, then, is De La Cruz\u2019s ceiling? How much better a player can he be? And what might he earn when he becomes a free agent after the 2029 season, a question the Reds and their fans would prefer not to entertain? No matter what baseball\u2019s next labor agreement looks like, De La Cruz seems a reasonable bet to surpass Francisco Lindor\u2019s record deal for a shortstop, 10 years and $341 million.<\/p>\n
He isn\u2019t anywhere close to that yet. This season, as he awaits his first crack at arbitration, he\u2019s earning $800,000. But the expectation around the Reds is that De La Cruz\u2019s value as a player is only going to grow, and not simply as a reflection of his service time.<\/p>\n
He wants to improve. He wants to be great.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there are many more strides he can take with how athletic he is, how dynamic he is in the box, the crazy things he can do,\u201d Valaika said. \u201cIt\u2019s just going to be the continued maturity. Learning the strike zone. Continuing to be stubborn with what he wants to do. Having the history with the league to say, \u2018I faced this guy 15 times. I faced that guy 20 times. I know what he\u2019s going to try to do to me.\u2019 That\u2019s the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds see it coming in their $20 infield competitions, in De La Cruz\u2019s daily preparation and in his dedication to his routines. He isn\u2019t trying to break Statcast, though heaven knows it might happen. He\u2019s trying to help his team win.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day he\u2019s closer to being the complete player,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cEvery day he\u2019s closer to being the shortstop.\u201d<\/p>\n
As in, the best in the game.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Athletic\u2019<\/strong>s C. Trent Rosecrans and Jayson Stark contributed to this story<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the Cincinnati Reds take infield practice, it sometimes gets loud. \u201cYou stink!\u201d one infielder might yell to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":795705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,5048,2961,224,5337,1266],"class_list":{"0":"post-795704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-cincinnati-reds","11":"tag-la","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-losangeles","14":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116572702042639304","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/795705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}