Less than a month into his MLB career, Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz has already shown that he has the talent to take over a game or a series. On Monday, he received another accolade.
The 21-year-old was named the NL Player of the Week. During the Reds’ six-game home stand against the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves, De La Cruz hit .440 with a 1.342 OPS, six extra-base hits, five RBI and one cycle.
“It’s awesome to have that recognition,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. “It’s really just the start of everything that we’re trying to accomplish up here, and we’re going to continue doing that throughout the rest of the season and work on the same things.”
De La Cruz finds ways to impact games
Even with pitchers throwing around him and trying to limit the damage that De La Cruz can create, he’s still finding ways to change nearly every game. His speed, arm and power are some of the best tools in baseball, and De La Cruz has adjusted his approach at the plate to cut down on strikeouts and get more consistent results.
On the season, De La Cruz is hitting .333 with a .989 OPS over 17 games. Among batters with at least 75 plate appearances in June, De La Cruz ranks 11th in OPS and fifth in stolen bases.
The former top prospect in baseball immediately stepped in as the cleanup hitter in the Reds’ lineup, and he has taken a strong offense to another level. Along with Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Andrew Abbott, the Reds have developed one of the best rookie classes in baseball.
Rookies on a tear for Cincinnati Reds
McLain won the NL Player of the Week award at the end of May, and now De La Cruz gets the same recognition.
“That’s the reason they called us up, because we know that we can do the job well,” De La Cruz said. “And sure enough we’ve been working really hard and giving the team an opportunity to win, and hopefully that will continue.”
De La Cruz hit for the Reds’ first cycle since 1989 on Friday against the Braves. Even though triples rarely happen in Great American Ball Park, De La Cruz looked destined for a triple as soon as his line drive snuck between the center fielder and the shortstop. Last week, he added a game-changing homer against the Rockies, hit a 117 mph line drive for the hardest hit of the Reds season, singled on a ground ball to the pitcher and worked consistently impressive at-bats.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds Elly De La Cruz wins NL Player of the Week