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    2022 Cincinnati Reds MiLB Player of the Year: Elly De La Cruz

    Doug Gray 20

    The 2021 season was on that saw Elly De La Cruz go from entirely unknown prospect even within the Reds organization to a top 100 prospect in all of baseball over the span of three months. His breakout was unlike one that’s been seen in a long time. Somehow he topped that in 2022, going from latter quarter of the Top 100 prospect lists to Top 10 prospect that put up a rather historic season.

    Cincinnati was aggressive with starting Elly De La Cruz in High-A Dayton after having played just 50 games the season before in Daytona the year before. It turns out that they knew what they were doing, even if it was a bit of a slow start to the season. In the first 15 games of the year, De La Cruz hit .241/.279/.483. The power was there, but he didn’t hit for much average and had just three walks and 22 strikeouts in that stretch. From that point forward with Dayton it was an entirely different situation. Over the next 58 games the shortstop hit .318/.380/.641 with 17 home runs, 11 doubles, 5 triples, and he stole 22 bases in 23 attempts. That took him to the All-Star break where he headed out to the Futures Game to represent the Reds.

    When the second half began it was time for Elly De La Cruz to move up to Double-A Chattanooga. Like in Dayton, it was a slow start with the Lookouts. In the first nine games, De La Cruz hit .220/.238/.439 and had just one walk and he struck out 14 times. Then, just like with the Dragons, things turned around rather quickly. From game 10 through the end of the season, a span of 38 games, the 20-year-old hit .329/.388/.584 with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home runs, and 15 stolen bases.

    When all was said and done, Elly De La Cruz played in 120 games between his two stops and hit .304/.359/.586 with 31 doubles, 9 triples, 28 home runs, 86 runs batted in, 87 runs scored, and he had 47 steals in 53 attempts. He would win the triple crown among players in the organization while also leading the farm in slugging, OPS, doubles, triples, and runs scored. His 47 steals were second to Michael Siani’s 52.

    As we wrote about a few weeks ago, Elly De La Cruz was only the third player to win the triple crown in the farm system since 1960 – which is as far back as there is full data for the minor leagues. The other two players were 29 and 32-years-old. De La Cruz did it when he was 20.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    20 Responses

    2. That speed…..I just don’t see how you waste it at SS. His range in CF and baserunning would make him a 2+ WAR player right now. Billy Hamilton had a 3 WAR season (2.1 dWAR) in 2016 with an OPS of .664. Who here doesn’t think EDLC could easily top that from what he’s shown offensively? It just makes more sense to me to move him rather than Barrero—you’d have two plus defenders rather than one.

      1. The speed and arm play at SS also. I have no problem with EDLC in CF if Barrero figures out how to hit. I think it all depends upon who can hit in the majors. If Siani shows he can hit and Barrero does not figure it out I put EDLC at SS. If both hit I could see EDLC in RF to take advantage of that arm and give the Reds an defensive OF for the ages with both Siani and EDLC

      2. The speed isn’t wasted at all at shortstop. And that may be even more true starting next year when you have limited shifting abilities.

    3. To Sultan’s point above, I suggest an article that discusses the merits of keeping ELDC or moving him to another position. Several of your readers want to move him; several want to keep him at SS. What are the relative pros and cons of each approach?

      1. Honestly, until the organization starts talking about moving him to the outfield, I’m not taking on such a topic. He’s the best shortstop prospect the organization has had since Barry Larkin.

          1. I’d guess so, but we also don’t know what his defense would be like there. The assumption is that it would be good, but that’s still an assumption.

        2. So, where does fall defensively compared to Barrero, Marte, McLain, Arroyo, etc. The Reds have played ELDC at 3B and he’s played 2B in winter ball. Both have actually happened.

          “He’s the best SS prospect since Barry Larkin” suggests you believe he should remain at the position he’s most comfortable at even if that isn’t the best defensive alignment.

          1. He’s a good shortstop. He’s certainly better than two of those guys defensively.

            He should remain at shortstop until either he proves he can’t play there or there is an unequivocal better option. We aren’t talking about some good shortstop prospect here. We’re talking about a guy who’s the best shortstop prospect the organization has seen in nearly 4 decades. You don’t move him. You move the other guys (if and when you need to, and right now, you don’t need to move any of them, really).

        3. To Sultan. Eric Davis was drafted as SS in 1980 and played SS that summer in Reds minor leagues. He was switched in OF in 1981 and played there (mostly CF) from 1981 to 1985, mostly in minors but also partly as Red in 1984 and 1985.

          ELDC has played mostly SS in minors for Reds. He will stay there unless he proves he can’t. It’s harder to find SS with power than CF with power.

          The last Reds SS (only one in my lifetime, born 1951) to have power was Barry Larkin.

          CF is not easy in the major leagues.

    4. I’m guessing it didn’t take a lot of analysis to come up with the winner of this award. Let’s hope he stays healthy and keeps developing. It’ll be fun to see the Reds have a headline grabber for a change.

        1. But the big “what if” player in the organization remains Joe Boyle. What if he carried his stats from A+ through AA this season? Would that have matched EDLC’s performance? Perhaps taken a bit longer to settle on EDLC?

          Going to be very interesting to see if Boyle comes out strong in AA for his first 8-10 starts next year. Fully expect ELDC to roar out of the gate.

          1. No, I don’t think so. Just way too many walks even if his ERA/strikeouts/lack of hits allowed all carried up to Double-A to match what Elly did.

    5. Sad thing is as a Reds fan I sit here and wonder when they will have to trade him when they can’t afford him. Sad.

    6. I’m interested in all the comments, not just in this thread but going back a while, about moving EDLC from SS to elsewhere. I thought the basic rule is keep a talented bat guy at SS as long as possible – and only with proven inadequacy make a position move.

      Catching aside as a specialty position, isn’t the defensive hierarchy SS-CF-RF(arm)-3b-2b-LF-1b? A few quirks include LH 1b, and 3b quickness attributes, but the general focus is up-the-middle defense.

      Add in that the Reds don’t have the spacious outfield that incrementally favors speed.

      I’m guessing and hoping the Reds watch Cruz in Pgh to see how long he goes until the defense is simply a drag rather than needing polishing. Unless EDLC’s SS defense craters next year, why would they consider moving him anywhere? If his offense persists it gives them the luxury of focusing on another defensive CFer; much easier than finding a SS package such as he could be.

    7. If he truly is the best SS since Barrly Larkin then by all means keep him there. We all know by Concepcion and Larkin how valuable that is. If others are pretty close to him coming up then I’m sure he’d make a great CF. With his length and speed I’m sure he’d probably be better in CF than the others. Having said all this it would be pretty cool to see a superstar SS. Generally speaking it’s easier to find a good CF than SS.

      1. Best prospect, not necessarily best shortstop. Still a prospect for a reason.

        But in terms of being a shortstop prospect, I don’t think anyone else in the organization is close. Noelvi Marte may be another Top 25 caliber prospect, but when it comes to being a shortstop he’s just not on the level of De La Cruz.

    8. Hey Doug, a little off topic…Baseball America listed Juan M. Abril, Yomil Maysonet, Jermaine Vanheyningen, Jake McMahill, Wilfred Astudillo and Garret Wolforth as released on their Minor League Transactions List. I can’t find anything about these transactions anywhere else. Do you know why? Thanks.

      1. I would venture to guess that for whatever reason MiLB.com simply didn’t update the transactions yet.

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