In a year of high expectations, the Cincinnati Reds fell well short of their goals.
Finishing last in the NL Central and 13 games from a wild-card spot, it was a lost season in Cincinnati. After a promising start to the season, the year that started great turned into a year to forget.
But if there’s one thing to remember about the Reds’ 2026 campaign, it’s the performance of Elly De La Cruz.
With all the disappointment surrounding the Reds this year, De La Cruz was everything but that. The fourth-year shortstop showed the entire league that he is the real deal. He had previously shown glimpses of superstardom, but consistency on both sides of the plate and on defense had been the lingering question.
With an impressive 2026 campaign from De La Cruz, he answered those questions in a big way.
De La Cruz Set Career Highs Across the Board
The 2026 season has been the best season of De La Cruz’s young career. Completing his fourth season in Cincinnati, the switch-hitter set career highs across the board. De La Cruz’s slash line of .283/.365/.515 is the best he’s ever produced.
Even after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury, the two-time All-Star didn’t show signs of slowing down. He picked up right where he left off and only got better as the season progressed.
His biggest achievement this year came towards the end of the season. De La Cruz became the fourth Red ever to record a 30-home-run and a 30-stolen-base year. Capturing his 30th base also made him the eighth player ever to swipe 30 bases in their first four seasons. Although the 30 stolen bases are the lowest he’s collected in a season, the 30 home runs mark the most of his career.
Just when the Reds thought they’d seen the best of De La Cruz this season, he put on a clinic in the final month of the season. Despite facing the toughest schedule of any team in September, the shortstop rose to the occasion. He hit .348, batting in 19 runs, stealing six bases, scoring 18 runs, and collecting 15 extra-base hits.
This impressive month earned De La Cruz his first-ever NL Player of the Month award. To top it off, he led the league in total WAR for September, also recording the second-most home runs and total bases.
The Right Side of the Plate Is No Longer a Weakness
One of the biggest question marks surrounding De La Cruz as a hitter has been his ability to hit left-handed pitching. Stepping up to the right side of the dish against southpaws has been a weakness of his game. In his first three seasons, he struggled as a right-handed batter. Batting lefty has always been more comfortable for him. This season, he took a giant step forward on the right side of the batter’s box.
To compare his three previous seasons against lefties, De La Cruz hit .184 with a .494 OPS in 2023, .224 with a .661 OPS in 2024, and .236 with a .618 OPS in 2025. This season, he ended with a .325 average and an OPS of .990. The 24-year-old finally took the step up he needed to reach superstar status.
Now that he has found his groove on the other side, he has the chance to become an elite offensive weapon. At one point during his NL Player of the Month campaign, he led all of MLB in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Only Bobby Witt Jr.’s Glove Keeps This Debate Alive
De La Cruz has been one of the most exciting players to watch at his position. Since bursting on the scene in 2023, the shortstop has collected several highlight plays.
Standing at 6-foot-6, he’s one of the tallest players to ever play the position. His athleticism at that height allows him to make plays that no other shortstop can accomplish. With the second-highest arm strength at his position this year, he set a new record for the fastest tracked assist by an infielder in the Statcast era this year.
De La Cruz is nominated for the Hank Aaron Award and is on the ballot for the 2026 All-MLB team. The only other shortstops to be considered for both honors this year are CJ Abrams and Bobby Witt Jr. De La Cruz has both of them beat when it comes to offensive production. He has set himself up to be a front-runner for the Silver Slugger Award.
De La Cruz leads both Abrams and Witt in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and OPS+, while trailing only Abrams in home runs and RBIs. His 5.6 bWAR is second-best of the three. When looking at his offensive value, he leads them both with a WAR of 6.4. This number is also the third highest in baseball.
De La Cruz’s defense also took a step in the right direction this year. He is in the 91st percentile in Outs Above Average (OAA) and the 75th percentile in Fielding Run Value (FRV). Last year, he ranked in the 22nd percentile in OAA and the 50th percentile in FRV. Although he’s well behind two-time first-team All-MLB Witt Jr., these improvements are a step in the right direction.
If he can continue to improve his play on the defensive side, there will be no argument for who the best shortstop in baseball is.
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