'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cincinnati Reds slugger Elly De La Cruz has picked up right where he left off. After blasting onto the scene as a rookie last year, he has parlayed that impressive season into an even better one this year.
Through 125 games this year, he is hitting .262/.345/.493 with 22 home runs, 56 runs batted in, and a league-leading 60 stolen bases. With his 60th stolen base on Wednesday, he became the fifth player in MLB history to have at least 60 stolen bases and 20 home runs.
Cruz has put himself in contention to win the NL MVP Award in the future. However, he will have to surpass Shohei Ohtani to do it. Former Minnesota Twins slugger Trevor Plouffe shared his thoughts on the matter alongside Chris Rose on the Baseball Today show.
Trending
"That's the biggest stepping stone. Shohei [Ohtani's] got to have a bad year or possibly get injured in some way that he can't do either of these things," said Plouffe.
Ohtani is already the clear favorite to win the award as a designated hitter only this season. It will be hard for Elly De La Cruz to surpass him if he can return to the mound in any capacity following this season. However, it is not impossible.
"Once he starts to command the strike zone a little bit better, those numbers are going to go up, he'll get into the nines. When you get into the nines with your OPS, you steal bases like that, you play defense like that, you're an MVP-type player," said Plouffe.
Elly De La Cruz has a bright future ahead of him
Elly De La Cruz was one of the most exciting players to watch last season after debuting with the Reds. The lights did not seem too bright for the youngster as he he quickly became a fan favorite.
While he has been impressive in such a short amount of time, he is still developing. There are parts of his game that he is still working to improve on while he tries to lead his club to a postseason spot.
However, he is not the only young talent that has started to emerge in Cincinnati. This club is full of young talent and could be a force to be reckoned with in the National League Central in a few seasons.
