Elly De La Cruz is fast.
That is unequivocally clear. The dynamic rookie Reds has already declared himself the fastest player in Major League Baseball, and he may well have a case based on his numerous infield singles.
But we’re not sure if we’ve seen an infield hit quite like this one against Houston, especially since he was hit toward the player closest to first base.
Elly De La Cruz of the Reds runs at the speed of light to hit a groundout to first
De La Cruz dove for the bag at a whopping 31.2 feet per second to beat the defense all the way to base, sliding with safety and ease.
And speed is just one of De La Cruz’s many abilities. He’s already shown a mature eye at the plate since Cincinnati called him up, and last week he hit a 458-foot home run at a muzzle velocity of 114.8 MPH. He was the second hardest hit ball in the Statcast era (2015-present).
That’s not the only record he’s set. He is the first player to add four RBIs and four stolen bases in the first seven games of an MLB career since Vince Coleman in 1985 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He also reached base four times against the Cardinals last Sunday, making him the youngest Red to do so since Jay Bruce in 2008.
The future is bright for De La Cruz, and because of his speed, so are the base paths when he’s blazing hot trails with his feet.
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