Elly

De La Cruz

The Reds’ rally came, oddly enough, after the automatic runner was picked off second base by Ethan Roberts. De La Cruz broke the tie and then scored on Tyler Stephenson’s single. He previously swiped two bags in the game, even though the 10th-inning hit was the only time he reached base safely (he grounded into force outs twice). De La Cruz finishes as the MLB leader with 67 steals and in 10th place with 105 runs scored. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, but he probably belongs somewhere in the top five on NL MVP ballots anyway.

De La Cruz knocked a double in the third inning and scored the Reds first run on a base hit by Tyler Stephenson. He later extended the Cincinnati lead with a three-run blast off Jared Jones in the fourth inning. The 22-year-old star shortstop has all but secured his spot in the first round of 2025 fantasy drafts, slashing .263/.344/.479 with 25 home runs, 104 runs scored, 74 RBI, and 65 stolen bases.

De La Cruz’s slam off Jorge Alcala was his only hit tonight. It gave him 24 homers and 69 RBI to go along with his 64 steals this season. He still has a shot of joining Ronald Acuña Jr., Rickey Henderson and Eric Davis as the only players to finish with 25 homers and 70 steals in a season.

De La Cruz drew a walk in the first inning and stole two bases before he was left stranded. He drew another walk in the third before he was caught stealing. De La Cruz then reached for a third time with a base hit in the fifth and scored on a single by TJ Friedl. The 22-year-old star shortstop is slashing .260/.344/.474 with 23 homers, 96 runs scored, 65 RBI, and 64 steals across 627 plate appearances.

The Reds managed four runs on four hits in this game thanks to two-run homers from both De La Cruz and TJ Friedl. The former crushed his an estimated 413 feet at 111.1 MPH in an impressive display of power. That power has dried up a good bit of late though as this was De La Cruz’s first homer in 16 games and second overall since the beginning of August.

De La Cruz tallied a pair of hits, including a two-run single, in the opening frame off Astros rookie starter Spencer Arrighetti before picking up his 62nd theft of the season as well. He also doubled and scored a run in the third inning as well. The electrifying 22-year-old has likely surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts from fantasy managers coming into the year as he’s batting .265/.347/.481 with 94 runs scored, 22 homers, 63 RBI and 62 stolen bases through 138 games. We’re running out of superlatives to describe his other-worldly exploits.

It feels like a rare occurrence when Elly doesn’t steal a base or hit a home run, but here we are. The 22-year-old has been tremendous for much of the season but has also shown growth in the second half of the year as well, striking out just 42 times in 33 games since the All-Star break. He’s already an elite fantasy player, but if he can get these strong stretches of plate discipline to stick long-term, he has a chance to be the first player drafted.

De La Cruz’s show-stopping season rolls on as he became just the fifth player in major league history —and first shortstop — to hit 20 homers and steal 60 bases. Beforehand, he helped ignite the Reds’ huge six-run comeback with a run-scoring single to cut Toronto’s lead to one and then beat a throw home with the infield in to tie the game. He is the embodiment of electricity every time he steps on the field.

De La Cruz took Cardinals ace Sonny Gray deep in the third inning for his 21sth big fly of the season. The 22-year-old fantasy superstar has been on an extended hot streak over the past few weeks, hitting .306 (37-for-121) with six homers and 17 steals over his last 30 contests. He still has an outside shot at getting close to the 40-homer threshold and looks like a lock to reach at least 70 stolen bases. Unreal.

De La Cruz has been tremendous to kick off the second half of the season, going 24-for-71 (.338) with three home runs and 13 steals in 17 games. The 22-year-old is now up to 59 steals on the season and hitting .269 despite a strikeout rate of over 30 percent. If he can continue to improve his plate discipline and make more consistent contact, the sky is the limit.