Elly De La Cruz is fast.
That much is unmistakably clear. The Cincinnati Reds‘ dynamic rookie has already professed himself to be the fastest player in Major League Baseball, and he may very well have a case based on his numerous infield singles.
But we’re not sure if we’ve seen an infield hit quite like this one against the Houston Astros, especially given that it was hit toward the closet player to first base.
Elly De La Cruz runs at the speed of light to beat out a ground ball to first
De La Cruz jetted to the bag at a whopping 31.2 feet per second to beat the defense to the base, sliding in safely with ease.
And speed is just one of De La Cruz’s many skills. He’s already shown a mature eye at the plate since being called up by Cincinnati, and last week, he smashed a 458-foot homer at a 114.8 MPH exit velocity. It was the second-hardest hit ball in the Statcast era (2015-present).
That’s not the only record he’s set. He’s the first player to tally four RBIs and four stolen bases through the first seven games of an MLB career since Vince Coleman in 1985 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He also reached base four times against the Cards last Sunday, making him the youngest Red to do so since Jay Bruce in 2008.
The future is bright for De La Cruz, and because of his speed, so are the basepaths when he’s blazing fiery trails on them with his feet.
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