Elly De La Cruz has been a surprising gift for baseball during this season of dramatic change.
For far too long, baseball has stubbornly refused to divert from its traditional and stodgy ways. Because of that, fans, players and teams suffered.
Games were too long, attendance dwindled, the effects of the Astros scandal lingered, and the general excitement had been drained from America’s favorite pastime. Baseball was so steeped in tradition that it refused to adapt to the changing behaviors and consumption habits of sports fans, and any attempts to divert from the norm and the game’s “unwritten rules” were disdained and quickly quashed.
Don’t bunt to third despite the shift being on.
After hitting a home run, please walk calmly to the nearest base. Do not pass Go, do not collect $100.
Players showing any sort of emotion outside of a Kirk Gibson fist pump were vilified. And don’t even think about a bat flip.
Generally speaking, don’t create any attention in a sport desperately lacking freedom of expression and unbridled excitement.
Baseball is not a boring sport, nor is it devoid of star power.
Instead, it lacks what it has lacked for decades.
An open and willing mind.
But 2023 showed great promise once MLB adopted new rules to address many of the issues plaguing the game.
To speed up the game and induce more hits and base stealing, MLB implemented a 30-second pitch clock, limited pickoff attempts to two, and restricted defensive shifts. MLB also increased Interleague games from 20 to 46 to freshen up its stale schedule.
So far, these changes have succeeded.
In May, according to MLB, game times decreased by 28 minutes from the year prior to 2 hours and 37 minutes from 3 hours and 5 minutes. In addition, stolen-base attempts have increased to 1.8 per game and the 78.3% success rate is the highest in MLB history.
So the rules changes are working.
But MLB needed star power. Superstars who enamored fans with their talent, style and flair.
Shohei Ohtani, 29, has filled some of those needs. Not only is he hitting .302 with 32 home runs and 71 RBIs before this week’s All-Star Game, but he’s also 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA as a pitcher.
On Friday night, ESPN Stats and Info reported that he became the first player in MLB history to amass three seasons with 100 hits and 100 pitching strikeouts (2021-23).
But Ohtani, like superstar Angels teammate Mike Trout, is a quiet superstar lacking flair and an expressive style.
Enter Cincinnati Reds infielder, Elly De La Cruz.
Since being called 30 games ago, De La Cruz has captivated baseball fans in a way that Ohtani hasn’t. It’s not to say that the former is better than the latter. Instead, Elly just exudes a different type of aura that is completely anti-traditional baseball.
The 21-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic injected an instant shot of adrenaline and excitement into the game that differs from superstars like Ronald Acuña Jr., Julio Rodríguez and Mookie Betts.
That was evidenced by this electric play from Saturday evening.
The moment quickly went viral, drawing the attention of sports fans to the Reds’ fast-rising star.
And this wasn’t his first thrilling, viral moment either.
Last Wednesday in Washington against the Nationals, umpires stopped De La Cruz to inspect his bat. After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Elly calmly stepped back into the batter’s box and cracked a 455-foot home run.
And then he gave his inspectors a quick affirmation before taking his jog around the bases.
Elly, who throws right-handed, is also a switch hitter. And that home run he launched against the Nationals? He did it from the left side.
De La Cruz is a special player who has brought speed, skill and excitement to the game and who gives baseball another marker to celebrate during its successful 2023 season.
Elly is currently hitting .325 with 41 hits, 16 RBIs, 4 HRs and 16 stolen bases in his first 30 games heading into the All-Star break. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Elly is the first player in MLB history with 40 hits and 15 stolen bases through his first 30 career games.
Before the Reds called him up, the team was 27-33. 30 games later, Cincinnati has gone 23-8 and sits at 50-41.
That’s impact.
Elly De La Cruz is a combustible combination of speed and power compacted into a lanky 6’5, 200-pound frame. And his rocket-like arm strength is reminiscent of players like Vladimir Guerrero and Shawn Dunston.
Baseball once had great young superstar talents like Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis and Ken Griffey Jr. who brought a non-traditional excitement to the game. More recently, the World Baseball Classic and the aforementioned Ohtani, Acuña Jr., Rodríguez and Betts have provided baseball with excitement and new talents to market globally.
But if MLB recognizes and capitalizes on Elly’s early success and overall potential, they’ll reap huge returns for years to come.
Let’s hope they don’t blow it by going traditional again.
