Ever since Elly DE La Cruz joined the Cincinnati Reds in the summertime of 2023 it was obvious that his uncooked expertise was off the charts. The ability, the velocity, the arm, the athleticism – he was only a completely different type of man on the sector in comparison with his extraordinarily proficient friends. That’s to not say he was pretty much as good as all of them – he’s nonetheless simply 22-years-old – however he’s and was able to issues that hardly anybody else is. Just about from the beginning of his large league profession he’s been doing issues sometimes that put him in a “that is the one man to ever have this many X, Y, and Z on this time-frame within the historical past of baseball”.
On Sunday afternoon within the prime of the tenth inning Elly De La Cruz doubled into the precise area nook to drive in two runs to place the Reds forward of the Cubs 2-0 in a sport they’d win quarter-hour later by a rating of 3-0. After the sport that play was rightfully became a triple. And that scoring determination put Cincinnati’s shortstop within the document books as soon as once more. The triple was his tenth of the yr. It gave him 36 doubles, 10 triples, and 25 dwelling runs on the yr. He additionally stole two bases within the sport, pushing that quantity to 67 on the yr.
Within the historical past of Main League Baseball there have been 105 gamers to have 60 steals and 10 triples in a season. Becoming a member of that membership on it’s personal is spectacular. Lower than one participant per season within the historical past of the sport has been capable of accomplish that feat. However solely 15 gamers have been ready to do this whereas additionally hitting 10 dwelling runs. Now we’re into an much more spectacular membership. If we add in that you just additionally wanted to have 30 doubles, then that membership shrinks to simply 9 gamers.
Just one participant, although has ever had 20 dwelling runs, 30 doubles, and 10 triples in a season whereas additionally stealing 60 bases. And that participant is Elly De La Cruz. And he simply cleared the bar in 4 of these 5 classes, too. On condition that he’s the one man in that membership, he’s additionally the one man within the 35+ doubles, 10 triples, 25 dwelling run, and 65 steal membership, too.
Elly De La Cruz is a unicorn. He’s one among a form. It feels such as you’re making issues up while you discuss a few of the issues he’s achieved.
The 22-year-old had a 6.4 WAR (Fangraphs) this season. That was the ninth finest in baseball and the third finest within the Nationwide League (Shohei Ohtani – 9.1, Francisco Lindor – 7.6). Since 1947, that’s tied for the twenty sixth most useful season in Cincinnati Reds franchise historical past amongst place gamers. Since 1980 it’s trailing simply the 2015 and 2010 seasons from Joey Votto, the 1987 season from Eric Davis, the 1996 season from Barry Larkin, and the 1995 season from Reggie Sanders when it comes to worth (tied with 2011 Joey Votto and 2013 Shin-Soo Choo).
