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Elly De La Cruz Makes an Impact in his First All-Star Game

The Reds superstar shortstop made his first All-Star Game this season. Coming off the bench, Elly De La Cruz logged the Reds first hit since 2018 in the Mid-Summer Classic.

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Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds

The 2024 MLB All-Star Game marks the first of ideally many selections. While the Cincinnati Reds' superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz did not get the opportunity to start, he came off the bench in the bottom of the sixth to slot in at third base, wearing bright pink Louis Vuitton Jordan cleats.

In his first inning in the field, he did not see any action. In the top of the eighth, the NL pitchers struck out the side, so De La Cruz's job was made that much easier. In the bottom of the eighth, Willi Castro grounded to De La Cruz at third and he fired it across the diamond for the put-out to end the frame.

At the plate, De La Cruz led off the top of the seventh. On a 2-2 count, he smacked a pitch to center for a single. He was thinking two but slammed on the breaks as he rounded first. The NL couldn't take advantage and he was stranded at second. With that hit, he was the first Red to record a hit in the All-Star Game since Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett did so in 2018.

In the top of the ninth, De La Cruz got to face off against the Cleveland Guardians' elite closer, Emmanuel Clase. With one out, he battled to a 2-1 count before bouncing a harmless grounder to second to close out his first All-Star Game.

On the year, De La Cruz leads the Reds with 3.4 bWAR/4.4 fWAR. It has been a bit of "Elly or bust" when it comes to the Reds lineup, evidenced by the fact that he alone owns more fWAR than the rest of the lineup...combined.

He's batting .256/.346/.483 with 17 home runs and has drawn 45 walks. He leads the National League with six triples and leads all of Major League Baseball with 46 stolen bases. His OPS+ is sitting at 128.

He has played 96 games this year and played in 98 last year and the jump has been evident. While he has just one more hit, he has four more doubles, four more home runs, 11 more stolen bases, and 10 more walks. Plus, he has struck out 17 fewer times.

The Reds have a potentially generational talent in Elly De La Cruz. This All-Star Game should be just the first of many. Hopefully, the Reds and De La Cruz, the two can agree to a long-term deal this offseason.