It is no secret that since his debut last season, Elly De La Cruz has become must-see TV for all MLB fans. The second-year player from the Dominican Republic has quickly become a fan favorite on the Cincinnati Reds.
After the MLB released the first round of all-star voting totals, De La Cruz finds himself leading the Reds in fan votes. De La Cruz has 324,559 votes, which is good for third among National League shortstops. He trails only Mookie Betts and Trea Turner in votes at his position—an impressive feat for a second-year player to find himself among two multi-time all-stars. Betts has a sizable lead on both Turner and De La Cruz, but with his recent injury, the two may be able to make ground on Betts.
Phase one of fan voting goes until June 27th. If De La Cruz is a top two vote-getter at his position, he will move on to phase two of voting. He hopes to make his first all-star team in just his second year.
This honor is well deserved for the 22-year-old who continues to dazzle fans nightly. On Sunday afternoon, De La Cruz gifted fans with one of the most impressive plays of the season thus far. On a routine pickoff attempt to second base, De La Cruz saw an opening and made a spectacular play. The throw was muffed and proceeded to roll into the shallow outfield. The speedy shortstop then turned on the jets to not only make it to third but to score on the play. De La Cruz makes spectacular plays like these regularly.
ELLY DE LA CRUZ JUST SCORED FROM SECOND ON A PICKOFF ATTEMPT pic.twitter.com/WMMyBU2yGf
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 16, 2024
Elly De La Cruz continues to impact the game in multiple ways. He leads the league in stolen bases through 72 games with 37 and has already surpassed his total from last season in 18 fewer games. Fans can continue to expect these exciting plays from De La Cruz throughout this season and for years to come.
Photo Credit: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a solo home run. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
