David Bell isn’t reading too much into the Cincinnati Reds’ spring training lineups. According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the exception could come down to Elly De La Cruz, who has been hitting in the No. 2 spot in the order throughout spring training. De La Cruz batted .315 with an .887 OPS over his first 30 games and .191 with a .627 OPS over the final 68 games.
“It’s obvious with his talent and his speed,” Bell said. “I’d like him to hit toward the top of the order if possible. I won’t force it. He’s the one I’ve most thought about most about. Other than that, there’s not much to read into (the lineup). I haven’t started thinking too much about it yet. I’d say most likely, today’s lineup wouldn’t be terribly off from what it could be like. It could be pretty close to something like that.”
Elly De La Cruz In Line to Bat Second?
Bell noted that De La Cruz’s position in the lineup is the spot he’s thought about the most. The young shortstop has hit second for much of spring training. De La Cruz mostly hit in the top half of the Reds’ batting order while he was up last season. However, he slide down toward the bottom in September following his inconsistencies. The switch-hitter sported a .495 OPS with a 40.2 percent strikeout rate against left-handers last season. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he hits lower in the lineup against left-handers.
The Reds’ Regular Shortstop
In addition to potentially hitting second, De La Cruz is expected to be the team’s regular shortstop in 2023. “Going into it, Elly will play a lot of short, and Matt [McLain] will play a lot of second,” said Bell. “Everything else we’ve got to let it play out.” De La Cruz played both third base and shortstop in his rookie season. The 22-year-old is quickly emerging as someone with the best range, laeral quickness and arm strenghth. He has the potential to be a special player if he put it together offensively.
What National League Managers Say About Elly
Mark Sheldon of MLB.com recently asked some NL skippers about the rising superstar. Here’s what division rival Craig Counsell had to say on him.
“I mean he was pretty good for whatever the first month was, that’s a good player. Can he beteer? We’re talking pretty, pretty good then. If I were the Reds, I’d take the first month of what he did, every day.”
“I think it’s kind of a classic young player scenario where the league is just constatnly adjusting. You just have to keep ajdusting, and he’ll certainly learn that. But he got his first taste of [how] the league adjusted to him, and that’s what makes playing in the big leagues hard, even for the most talented players. The league is going to continue to adjust. Pitchers are going to continue to adjust and when they find something they think they can expose, they’re going to make you close that off.”
Main Photo: © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
