Watch: Reds All-Star De La Cruz hits his 17th HR

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz hits his 17th home run

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jul 14, 2024 5:22 PM ET

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz continues to show why he's a human highlight reel.

With the Reds trailing the Miami Marlins 2-0 at the bottom of the sixth inning, De La Cruz crushed a 91 mph four-seam fastball from Trevor Rogers for a two-run, 394-foot home run. Though De La Cruz went 1-for-3, Cincinnati lost 3-2.

Elly goes oppo!

Elly De La Cruz leads the @Reds with 17 homers. pic.twitter.com/5ewqGstDOt
— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2024

Through 96 games, the second-year star has hit 17 homers and 43 RBI. The 6-foot-5 infielder also leads the majors with 46 stolen bases, 16 more than Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (30 in 93 games).

De La Cruz was recently named to the MLB All-Star Game for the first time. Keep in mind he's only 22. Just imagine what he can do if he reaches his potential.

"With his skills … he'll achieve other greatness we cannot conceive," Reds play-by-play announcer John Sadak recently told Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman.

If the Reds continue to build around De La Cruz, it could help them end their recent run of mediocrity. Cincinnati last made the postseason in 2020 and hasn't won a playoff series since 1995.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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