He hasn’t been in the league for long, but Elly De La Cruz has already etched his name into the history books.
The Cincinnati Reds star reached the 20+ home run and 60+ stolen base mark on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming only the fifth player in MLB history to do so.
He joins Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023), Rickey Henderson (1985, 1986, 1990), Eric Davis (1986) and Joe Morgan (1973, 1976). The latter two also accomplished the feat while playing with the Reds.
He capped off the milestone with an easy steal of third base in the top of the fifth against Toronto. To make it even worse for the Blue Jays, a couple of pitches later, he rushed home on a tight infield single from Tyler Stephenson, tying the game at six apiece in what would become a devastating five-run inning.
De La Cruz, 22, has been one of the most electric players in baseball since getting called up the the majors last season. His speed on the basepaths is second to none, with the superstar notching 94 stolen bases since joining the Reds on June 6, 2023 — 28 more than CJ Abrams in second place.
His power, of course, has also been nothing to scoff at, as the shortstop has 21 home runs this season and 34 since his debut in the show.