Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton was really fast.
New Cincinnati Reds rookie infielder Elly De La Cruz is faster.
One of the most exciting prospects in recent baseball memory, De La Cruz is known for his unique combination of hitting power, arm strength and generational speed.
The numbers back up the comparison between De La Cruz and Hamilton. Per Marshall Kramsky of WCPO in Cincinnati:
How fast is Elly De La Cruz?
According to statcast, his sprint speed has gotten as fast as 30.8 ft/s (fastest in baseball by .4 ft/s this season).
Billy Hamilton's fastest sprint speed in a season was 30.2 ft/s in 2016 & 2017. Baseball wise, it's incredible. #Reds @WCPO
Hamilton was considered the fastest player in baseball for a number of years so that's quite a stat right there.
De La Cruz's call-up coincides with this recent Reds hot streak. Cincy has won eight games in a row, just swept the world champion Astros and has moved to within 0.5 games of first place in the National League Central.
The Reds beat the Astros on Sunday, 9-7. De La Cruz went 2-5 and is now hitting .273 through 44 at-bats. He's got a homer, five RBI and six stolen bases already.
The 32-year-old Hamilton has appeared in three games for the Chicago White Sox this season. He stole more than 55 bases in four straight seasons from 2014-2017.
We'll see if De La Cruz can use his speed in the same way.
The Reds will host the Colorado Rockies on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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