Cincinnati Reds shortstop and third baseman Elly De La Cruz played his 300th Major League Baseball game on Sunday, May 11, against the Houston Astros.
De La Cruz’s success continued when he hit a game-tying solo home run for the Reds against the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday night. The Reds went on to lose 5-1 in 10 innings, but De La Cruz has proven to be an everyday producer and leader for the Reds in just his third season in the big leagues.
This year, De La Cruz is batting .250 and has a .729 OPS while being an iron man for the Reds, playing all 43 games so far this season. He is trying to build off of his breakout 2024 where he was named an All-Star and finished eighth in National League MVP voting while playing 160 games.
De La Cruz has been able to stay very healthy while managing the grind of an MLB season early on in his career and has accumulated 6.9 career WAR since his MLB debut on June 6, 2023 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Through his first 300 games, the 23 year old from Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic, has made history in terms of his unique value.
Through 300 games, De La Cruz had 117 extra-base hits and 116 stolen bases. He is the first player in modern MLB history since 1900 to reach both 115 extra-base hits and stolen bases in 300 or fewer games.
His career numbers in 300 games include a .249 batting average, .762 OPS, 44 home runs, 116 stolen bases, 291 hits, 121 walks, and 416 strikeouts, numbers that are comparable to several MLB legends through their first 300 games, including Cincinnati Reds icon Eric Davis, MLB all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, and stolen base king Rickey Henderson.
Davis, a two-time All-Star and World Series champion during his time in Cincinnati, accumulated 273 hits, 132 walks, 44 doubles, 62 home runs, 15 triples and 142 stolen bases in his first 300 games. De La Cruz’s efforts are very comparable to those of Davis, a player to whom De La Cruz has been compared to many times, and De La Cruz has surpassed Davis in hits, triples and doubles through 300 games.
Henderson was known as both a speed and power threat throughout his career, finishing with 297 home runs and 1406 stolen bases. Through his first 300 games, Henderson had 340 hits, 185 walks, 166 stolen bases, 13 home runs and a .297 average. De La Cruz surpassed Henderson in terms of home runs, but in the other categories, Rickey remains supreme. However, the closeness in these numbers show De La Cruz’s ability to shine as a dual threat player in the MLB.
Compared to Bonds, De La Cruz has more hits and stolen bases through 300 games. Their home run, average and walk totals are also incredibly similar. Bonds had 135 walks compared to De La Cruz’s 121, 52 home runs to De La Cruz’s 44 and a .250 average compared to Cruz’s .249.
De La Cruz has a career OPS+ of 105 and has been a key piece for the Reds in their first year being managed by Terry Francona. The Reds are currently 20-23, sitting five games back of first place in the National League Central. If De La Cruz continues to make history throughout his young career, the Reds could be a team to watch come October.
Photo: Elly De La Cruz hits a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
