Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz already has 30 stolen bases, more than 18 MLB teams, and is on pace to swipe 110 for the season. The last time that happened was in 1985 when the St. Louis Cardinals Vince Coleman stole 110 bases. Cruz was the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year.
Reds Infielder Stealing More Bases Than 18 Other Teams
Elly De La Cruz is on pace to have the first 100 SB season since Vince Coleman in 1987.
How many steals will the @Reds phenom finish with? pic.twitter.com/0b2xHoAZN2
— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2024
Last season, De La Cruz had 35 stolen bases, and with June approaching he’s already reached 30. In addition to Coleman, Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, Tom Brown, Maury Wills, Pete Browning, Billy Hamilton, Arlie Latham, Hugh Nicol, and John Ward also stole 100 or more bases in a season. But is De La Cruz on pace to earn his first 100 stolen base season? He had four stolen bases and hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. But as of recently, he hadn’t had enough protection in the lineup for him to get on base. If he were a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Elly would already be in the Top 10 of single-season steals for the franchise.
And we can see he’s been frustrated with all the walks and is starting to swing at pitches way out of the zone again, leading to a recent (0-for-13 skid with eight strikeouts. But rookies will have their ups and downs, and this is normal. But if there’s one thing we know about the youngster, it’s that his speed is lethal. Last season, for example, De La Cruz reached base on a line drive to the Houston Astros’ first baseman. This season, he has 3.6 BsR, which is second behind Brice Turang‘s (4.0). BsR (base runs), is a stat that calculates how many runs a team “should have” scored, looking at their combined offense and the number of runs a hitter or pitcher creates or surrenders.
History in the Making?
Stolen Base Leaders in MLB:
1. Elly De La Cruz, CIN, 30
2. Brice Turang, MIL, 18
3. Jose Caballero, TBR, 17
4. Bobby Witt Jr., KCR, 15
5. Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL, 14
6. Bryson Stott, PHI, 12
7. Shohei Ohtani, LAD, 11
7. Maikel Garcia, KCR, 11— Finesse_Stats (@Finesse_Stats) May 20, 2024
De La Cruz is now at -1400 odds to be MLB’s stolen bases leader. He has stolen 30 bases in 47 games. His latest over/under: – Over 99.5 stolen bases (+375) – Under 99.5 stolen bases (-500). At just 22 years old, he first built up an impressive baseball resume during his time in the minors. He was an MiLB Organization All-Star, a Midwest League Post-Season All-Star, and the Midwest League Prospect of the Year. He was also named the Reds’ Minor League Player of the Year, Baseball America’s Reds Minor League Player of the Year, and Minor League Baseball’s Top Prospect in the Midwest League.
Last year’s steal leader, Ronald Acuña Jr., had 73 steals. De La Cruz currently is pacing 103 steals if he played 162 games. He already has a good lead ahead of Brice Turang, who has 18. If De La Cruz crossed the century mark, it would be the third time in Reds history, and the first in the modern era. Hugh Nicol did it twice in 1887 (138) and 1888 (103).
Photo Credit: © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
