From: Dylan Buell (Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Reds called up their top prospect Elly De La Cruz on Tuesday. The 21-year-old third baseman headlines an exciting young core that Reds fans can hopefully start to believe in.
It has been a long time since the Reds have been consistently competitive, with just 5 seasons over .500 since 2000. Cincinnati had back to back seasons of good baseball in 2020 and 2021, but the departures of Trevor Bauer, Nick Castellanos, Luis Castillo, and Jesse Winker showed fans that General Manager Nick Krall wanted to take things in a different direction.
At the start of the 2023 MLB Season, the Reds farm system looked as follows (according to MLB's Prospect Rankings):
Number 4 Elly De La Cruz (SS/3B)
Number 21 Noelvi Marte (SS/3B)
Number 33 Edwin Arroyo (SS)
Number 53 Cam Collier (3B)
Number 90 Matt McLain (SS/2B)
Number 95 Andrew Abbott (LHP)
From: Dylan Buell (Getty Images)
In a year where the NL Central has underperformed, the Reds have turned to their young core in an attempt to seize the division crown. They called up Andrew Abbott to bolster the rotation alongside Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft. In his debut start, Abbott pitched a six inning shut out, allowing one hit while striking out six.
From: MLB Network on Twitter
Before they made the call for De La Cruz, the Reds also called up MLB's number 90 overall prospect Matt McLain. McLain has done nothing but hit in his first 92 at bats. McLain has bolstered a slash line of .348/.400/.522 during his first stint with the major league club. He has provided a steadying energy to Cincinnati's left side of the infield. McLain has also paired well with Jonathan India in the middle of the infield.
Then came the big one: Elly De La Cruz. Cincinnati hopes De La Cruz can become the face of their new young core, alongside Greene, Lodolo, McLain, India, and first baseman Spencer Steer.
From: Sam Greene (The Enquirer/USA TODAY Network)
In his first game with the Reds, De La Cruz ripped a 112 mph double off the wall, showcasing both his elite power and speed. The Reds would come roaring back from down 8-3, including a walk-off single from Matt McLain. In his second game, Elly UNLOADED on a baseball, almost hitting it out of the stadium altogether. Baseball Savant tracked the ball at 114.8 mph off the bat, good for a 458 foot home run. He then followed that up with a rope into right-center that he stretched into a triple. De La Cruz was clocked running home to third in 10.83 seconds, the fastest time recorded in the MLB this season. The 6'5" switch-hitting shortstop powered his team to a series win against the Dodgers.
From: Aaron Doster (AP Photo)
While there may be some speedbumps, watch out because this Reds team is coming. They are young, fun, exciting, and ready to take over the NL Central for the foreseeable future. Elly De La Cruz is the tip of the iceberg, and Cincinnati has more prospects coming. In a division in the midst of a rebuilding period, the Reds could be the team to take a stranglehold on the NL Central. The Cincinnati Reds are just getting started, so strap in and enjoy the ride.