Elly de la Cruz (2023)

 

Elly De La Cruz 🇩🇴 (2023)

Elly Antonio De La Cruz (Sabana Grande de Boyá, Dominican Republic January 11, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He signed with the Reds as an international free agent in 2018, and made his MLB debut in 2023.

One of the Cincinnati Reds' top prospects, he has captured baseball's attention due to his immense power and speed, in addition to his towering stature at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters) and weighing 200 pounds. He has been the youngest player to complete a cycle (1B, 2B, 3B, HR in a single game) so far. He is currently the fastest player with a Sprint Speed of 30.6 ft/sec (33.5 km/h) and possesses an Arm Strength of 96.5 mph. It's also worth mentioning that he is a switch hitter, batting with both arms.

Until September 2, 2023, he has recorded 76 hits, 11 home runs, 24 stolen bases, a .244 batting average, and a .732 OPS. 

In this analysis, we will assess his performance at the plate, his offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as his speed during this period of the 2023 season.

If you have any questions regarding the types of pitches (Fastball, Changeup, etc.), here is all the necessary information

Enjoy it 🙌

The data provided is from Baseball Savant

1-Hits

He made 76 hits, of which 14 are doubles, 6 triples, and 11 home runs. 44 hits had a launch speed of 95 mph or more, constituting 47% of the total. In the chart below, we can see the distribution of the hits, covering almost the entire field, but primarily consisting of infield hits (33 hits). Only 3% of his hits were poorly executed or had low exit velocity. 53% of hits went to the center field.

In the Left Stance, he made 55 hits (30 singles, 10 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs), and in the Right Stance, he made 18 hits (13 singles, 3 doubles, 2 home runs).

Here, you can witness the big accomplished by De la Cruz, hitting for a cycle (1B, 2B, 3B, HR) against the Atlanta Braves. You'll also be able to see his incredible speed and offensive power.

In the chart below, we can see the types of pitches with which hits were made. 15 hits were with the FS Fastball, and 13 with the Slider. 56% of the hits were flares or burners (Flares are hits with a low trajectory, while burners are hits with both low trajectory and high exit velocity), followed by Topped with 15% (hits with a negative launch angle), reflecting his great speed in reaching first base. And 12% were Barrels, indicating his hitting power. (link for more info about launch angle and speed and Barrels).

We can see that the majority of his hits were with FS Fastball, Slider, and Changeup. 37% of the hits were made in the lower zone, and 29% in the center zone.

And finally, we will see a radial chart displaying the launch angle and exit velocity of the hits. We can observe that the vast majority of hits fall within the 0 to 35-degree range and carry a significant exit velocity. 

Additionally, we will also examine a heatmap of his favorite pitch for generating hits, the FS Fastball.

2- Plate Discipline

One of his cons is the strikeouts, which account for 35% of his at-bats, totaling 117 strikeouts in 75 games, comprising 37 called strikeouts and 80 swinging strikeouts. He also has a 46% rate of swing and misses outside the strike zone, indicating one of his weaknesses. 

The FS Fastball has been the pitch with the most strikes (called strikes and swinging strikes), making up 24% of the total. Many of these strikes have been in the lower part both inside and outside the strike zone.

On the right side of the chart, you can see his plate appearances, indicating that he rarely reaches a full count.

de la Cruz only have 20 walks so far

Between both, 38% were hits, and 62% were batted ball attempts (outs, sac fly, etc). 

In this chart, we can see his effectiveness depending on the pitch type. Of course, we need to consider defensive factors like fielder positioning or even "luck". The FS Fastball is the pitch that shows the most consistency in this comparison.

3- Speed

Now let's talk about the most impressive aspect: Elly de la Cruz's speed, which is one of the fastest in MLB. 

In 90 ft sprints (27 meters), he is the fastest with 3.67 seconds, followed by Corbin Carroll at 3.69 seconds in second place and Dairon Blanco in third place with 3.70 seconds. 

His Sprint Speed is 30.6 ft/sec (33.6 km/h), making him the fastest so far. He also has 67 Bolts. A Bolt is any run that exceeds 30 ft/sec (32 km/h), ranking in the top 10 in the MLB for the most Bolts this season.

He achieved being the fastest player to reach 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases in fewer career games (65 games), breaking the record held by Barry Bonds in 1986, who had achieved it in 65 games as well.

He has 25 stolen bases to date and has been caught stealing 6 times, ranking in the top 20 for the most stolen bases in MLB.

Defensive: