Elly De La Cruz keeps dodging blame Reds fans know he deserves…
Has Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz already earned the “star treatment” not even two full years into his major league career? It sure seems like it. De La Cruz’s start to the 2025 season has been underwhelming to say the least, and yet, no one seems to be talking about it.
De La Cruz is hitting .244/.321/.384 with six home runs, 29 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Those aren’t necessarily bad numbers, but they certainly aren’t the type of stats one would expect to see from the team’s star player. His stats during the month of May have been even worse. De La Cruz has a .140/.245/.233 slash line with 17 strikeouts and only two-extra base hits. Cincinnati has a 4-7 record this month, and De La Cruz is a big reason why.
While it’s unfair to talk about the bad without citing the good — he did have a home run during the Reds 13-9 win on Saturday — there’s been very little good for De La Cruz since the calendar flipped to May. The Reds have scored four or fewer runs in six of their seven losses this month. De La Cruz is combined 3-for-29 (.103) in those six contests.
Reds’ star Elly De La Cruz has been shielded from well-earned criticism
De La Cruz is a phenomenal talent, but he’s not above criticism. Manager Terry Francona has chosen to slot De La Cruz into the No. 3 spot in the Reds’ batting order despite an on-base percentage (.321) that trails the likes of Santiago Espinal and Gavin Lux and a slugging percentage (.384) that’s lower than that of Austin Hays, Tyler Stephenson, and even TJ Friedl.
If you step away from the batters’ box, it’s apparent that De La Cruz’s defense has not been up to par either. Though he can make fantastic, circus-like plays that are shown on all the highlight reels, routine grounders eat him up and his throws to first base have been off-line far too often. After being tabbed with a league-leading 29 miscues in 2024, De La Cruz leads MLB with nine errors this season. For those fans who are beholden to the advanced analytics, De La Cruz is worth -3 outs above average(OAA) and -1 defensive runs saved (DRS).
None of this is to suggest that De La Cruz won’t snap out of his slump on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. In fact, the White Sox may be the perfect team to tee off on when they make their three-game visit to Great American Ball Park this week. But it’s high-time the Reds fans (and media) give De La Cruz the type of harsh rebuke this type of poor play warrants.
The Reds offense as a whole has been putrid, but De La Cruz has been one of the team’s biggest offenders. There’s every reason to believe that De La Cruz can be that superstar that leads Cincinnati back to the postseason, but that seems like a pipe dream at the moment.
Has Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz already earned the “star treatment” not even two full years into his major league career? It sure seems like it. De La Cruz’s start to the 2025 season has been underwhelming to say the least, and yet, no one seems to be talking about it.
De La Cruz is hitting .244/.321/.384 with six home runs, 29 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Those aren’t necessarily bad numbers, but they certainly aren’t the type of stats one would expect to see from the team’s star player. His stats during the month of May have been even worse. De La Cruz has a .140/.245/.233 slash line with 17 strikeouts and only two-extra base hits. Cincinnati has a 4-7 record this month, and De La Cruz is a big reason why.
While it’s unfair to talk about the bad without citing the good — he did have a home run during the Reds 13-9 win on Saturday — there’s been very little good for De La Cruz since the calendar flipped to May. The Reds have scored four or fewer runs in six of their seven losses this month. De La Cruz is combined 3-for-29 (.103) in those six contests.
Reds’ star Elly De La Cruz has been shielded from well-earned criticism
De La Cruz is a phenomenal talent, but he’s not above criticism. Manager Terry Francona has chosen to slot De La Cruz into the No. 3 spot in the Reds’ batting order despite an on-base percentage (.321) that trails the likes of Santiago Espinal and Gavin Lux and a slugging percentage (.384) that’s lower than that of Austin Hays, Tyler Stephenson, and even TJ Friedl.
If you step away from the batters’ box, it’s apparent that De La Cruz’s defense has not been up to par either. Though he can make fantastic, circus-like plays that are shown on all the highlight reels, routine grounders eat him up and his throws to first base have been off-line far too often. After being tabbed with a league-leading 29 miscues in 2024, De La Cruz leads MLB with nine errors this season. For those fans who are beholden to the advanced analytics, De La Cruz is worth -3 outs above average(OAA) and -1 defensive runs saved (DRS).
None of this is to suggest that De La Cruz won’t snap out of his slump on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. In fact, the White Sox may be the perfect team to tee off on when they make their three-game visit to Great American Ball Park this week. But it’s high-time the Reds fans (and media) give De La Cruz the type of harsh rebuke this type of poor play warrants.
The Reds offense as a whole has been putrid, but De La Cruz has been one of the team’s biggest offenders. There’s every reason to believe that De La Cruz can be that superstar that leads Cincinnati back to the postseason, but that seems like a pipe dream at the moment.
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