Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz is likely one of the most tantalizing abilities in MLB, and the 23-year-old confirmed why on Saturday.
Taking part in in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians in a spring-training recreation, De La Cruz hit a house run from either side of the plate. First, he went yard from the left facet within the opening inning, getting beneath a curveball and sending it over the right-field fence.
Then, in his subsequent at-bat, De La Cruz despatched a heater over the opposite-field wall from the proper facet.
The 2 lengthy balls mixed for 859 toes.
De La Cruz has been electrical within the roughly year-and-a-half he has been within the present. The 6-foot-5 shortstop has a cannon for an arm, blazing velocity and overwhelming energy.
Final season, De La Cruz totaled 25 dwelling runs, 76 RBIs, a 5.2 WAR and an MLB-high 67 stolen bases, whereas posting a .259/.339/.471 slash line and incomes an All-Star nod. Moreover, he was within the ninetieth percentile in bat velocity, 88th in common exit velocity and 86th in barrel share, per Statcast.
On the identical time, De La Cruz has been a bit erratic, recording an MLB-high 218 strikeouts and in addition a league-high 29 errors at shortstop final season.
“I at all times put in laborious work within the offseason,” De La Cruz said after the sport Saturday, in response to MLB.com. “That can come out within the [regular] season.”
New Reds supervisor Terry Francona just lately mentioned that he needs De La Cruz to be “the best player in baseball on the best team in baseball.”
The Reds are coming off a 77-85 marketing campaign by which they missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
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