The Reds have called up one of the top prospects in baseball, announcing Tuesday that they’ve recalled infielder Elly De La Cruz from Triple-A Louisville. In a corresponding move, third baseman Nick Senzel is headed to the injured list with a right knee issue.
The promotion of the 21-year-old De La Cruz is the latest step in a Cincinnati youth movement that has seen the likes of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Alexis Diaz, Graham Ashcraft, Matt McLain and Andrew Abbott make their MLB debuts over the past 14 months. De La Cruz has arguably the highest ceiling of the entire group, and his first call to the Major will continue the efforts to usher in a new era of baseball at Great American Ball Park.
Cruz offers one of the most tantalizing blends of power and speed in the sport, evidenced by this year’s 12 home runs and 11 steals in 186 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s batting .297/.398/.633 with a 14% walk rate against a 26.9% strikeout rate in Louisville and has gained increasing notoriety for his Statcast-breaking exit velocities, sprint speed and arm strength at shortstop. Statcast has pegged his sprint speed as high as 31 ft/sec at times (which would rank first in the Majors), and he drew headlines for blistering three balls with exit velocities north of 116 mph in a single game earlier this season.
The 6’5″, 200-pound De La Cruz has been primarily a shortstop in his minor league career, but Cincinnati GM Nick Krall tells Jim Bowden of The Athletic that he’ll likely play both shortstop and third base in the big leagues (Twitter link). Despite his sizable frame, De La Cruz draws strong reviews for his defensive upside at shortstop. Cincinnati currently has McLain thriving at that position, however, so the switch-hitting De La Cruz could see more frequent action at third base, where Baseball America touts him as a potential plus-plus (i.e. 70-grade) defender.
Currently, De La Cruz ranks as the game’s No. 3 prospect at Baseball America, No. 4 at MLB.com and No. 5 at FanGraphs. De La Cruz occupied the top spot on Kiley McDaniel’s midseason update to his top-50 prospects over at ESPN, joining an elite tier of 60-FV prospects alongside the likes of Eury Perez, Marcelo Mayer, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio and James Wood. “De La Cruz has continued to improve his polish at the plate while also continuing to show eye-popping 70- and 80-grade tools all over the field,” McDaniel wrote as part of that ranking.
The predominant concern with the switch-hitting De La Cruz is his penchant for swinging and missing. This year’s 26.9% strikeout rate is actually his lowest full-season mark to date; he’s fanned in over 30% of his plate appearances in each of his stops at Class-A, High-A and Double-A dating back to 2021. R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports points out that De La Cruz’s contact rate against while facing left-handed pitchers this season has been just 58%, underscoring the potential for some struggles in adjusting to big league opponents.
From a service time perspective, De La Cruz is being promoted late enough in the year that he won’t have any chance at organically accruing a full year of Major League service time. That technically puts him on track for free agency following the 2029 season, although for a prospect of this caliber, it’s certainly worth noting that with a top-two finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting, De La Cruz would still be awarded a full year of MLB service time thanks to provisions stipulated in the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement. Should De La Cruz be in the Majors for good but not accrue that full year based on ROY voting, he’d accumulate 118 days of Major League service time in 2023, placing him on the cusp of Super Two status following the 2025 season.
De La Cruz’s early performance will have particular ramifications for Senzel once he’s deemed eligible to return. While a rough initial showing from De La Cruz could make it a rather straightforward call, in the event that the talented 21-year-old holds his own or seizes a spot in the same manner McLain has, Senzel’s role will become murky. The Reds moved him from center field back to third base this year and have thus far received a .258/.332/.380 batting line in 184 plate appearances. It’s not standout production but is at least solid, particularly with Senzel drawing respectable defensive grades in his return to the hot corner.
Cincinnati could opt to deploy Senzel in super-utility fashion, getting him looks at all three outfield spots in addition to third base, second base and perhaps designated hitter. But if De La Cruz hits the ground running — and arguably, even if he doesn’t — the time to get an extended look at him and McLain on the left side of the infield, opposite second baseman Jonathan India (whom the Reds have no inclination to trade), is nigh. The Reds are hopeful that said trio, along with versatile Spencer Steer and minor league slugger Christian Encarnacion-Strand, can comprise their infield of the future.
That group would leave very little in the way of regular playing time for Senzel, the former No. 2 overall draft pick and top prospect whose career has been repeatedly slowed by injuries. Senzel, who’ll turn 28 later this month, has two years of club control beyond the current season, which (speculatively speaking) could make him an intriguing trade candidate to other teams seeking MLB-ready position players. The Reds’ outfield doesn’t have this same looming influx of young talent, so it’s certainly possible that Senzel could just return to the grass on a full-time basis if De La Cruz earns a long-term look in the infield, but Senzel’s role with the club is murkier now than at any point in his still-young career.
Any such decisions are unlikely to be made in the immediate future, though, and the focus for Reds fans is surely on getting their first look at the ballyhooed De La Cruz. The great hope among a Reds fanbase that has felt jilted in the wake of yet another teardown/rebuild and repeated, poorly received public comments from team CEO Phil Castellini, is that between this wave of young infielders and starting pitchers, a return to relevance in the NL Central could happen by next year at the latest — if not as soon as this summer.
YEEEEEEHAWWW!!!!!
Youth movement looking pretty good up there in Cincy….looks to be heading in a good direction. Abbott pitched well yesterday after he settled down.
He pitched six shutout innings of allowing one hit. Exactly when was he NOT settled down?
He walked 3 of the first 5 or 6 batters he faced…a.k.a. not settled down or nerves. Is that good enough for your liking?
No it is not. But thanks for asking.
Hiflew-
Did you even watch the game or did you just look at his stat line? Because if you watched the game you would have realized he had 4 walks to go with the 6 SO’s. In the first he faced 4 batters, walking one and every batter had a 5 pitch at bat vs him. In the 2nd inning he walked back to back before getting an out and then back to back K’s to end the inning. In those two innings he looked very shaky and had 53 pitches up to that point and why is pitch count after 6 innings was 108.
a.k.a. not settled down lol
I watched the game. I am in Bally Sports Ohio viewing area, so MLB thinks I should be a Reds fan.
In fairness to the OP, I did not see the first inning. But when I think of a pitcher “settling down” it usually comes after giving up runs, not walking a couple of guys with no consequences. Putting guys on base doesn’t hurt you unless they score.
“settling down”
Doesn’t have to refer to giving up runs. Abbot, had 3 walks and 53 pitches by the end of the 3rd. Reason he has From there he “settled down” and allowed a hit, 1 walk, 2 SO in 55 pitches before he was pulled at the end of the 6th inning.53 pitches in 3 innings was because he went 5 pitches to a lot of batters in the first 3 innings. Key strikeouts in the 3rd saved him.
Nailed it
About time.
16 year’s old the last time I could say “Cincinnati Red’s are pennant bown!” I have watched and watched as THE REBUILD has been rebuilding since 1991 to no avail…… 2023 Cincinnati Red’s have convinced me that pennant is in Cincinnati Red’s reach, as long as I NEVER have to watch Bell leave a pitcher in the game to surrender 10 runs or close to it because Bell costed Cincinnati Red’s a Win for they put wood all over the ball scoring 8 and this is the average score of a winning MLB organization in return to try and catch up from the 1-2 inning smashing of Ashcraft SMH but being they are bringing in the YOUNG GUNS this Red’s fan (MANY MANY MORE) is EXCITED not to just watch the talent of these young guns but Cincinnati Red’s are a contender with these moves! Thank you shot caller’s for the Red’s organization for being able to see the 2023 Red’s are winning a ton of games and this DIE HARD Red’s fan has HOPE something that the organization has been waiting for “33 year rebuild SMH” Abbott I believe spelled correctly don’t want to upset someone and get bombarded with hate comments. Young Abbott pitched a very nice game for his MLB debut and he had moments I was very nervous about but the kid did EXACTLY what he was asked and I believe he can continue to grow and Win Baseball game’s, at the end of six innings gave up 1 hit and all 3 closer’s came in each inning and dominated completing the shutout reminded me of the NASTY BOYS and how the Cincinnati Red’s shut Oakland A’s out to sweep the series! 2023 Red’s have this fan talking Baseball every single day something I haven’t been able to do in decades. THIS ONE BELONGS TO THE RED’S
Wow, THAT’s Big news and a welcome addition of a power bat to the Reds lineup. Exciting times for Reds fans indeed.
Eric Davis 2.0
The similarities to ED are striking and intriguing. However, does his howitzer of an arm play up better at SS? Or to a lesser degree at 3B or RF? Does McLain slide over to 3B or 2B (with India to third)? Does India’s back tightness factor into the timing of the promotion?
“These questions–and many others–will be answered in the next episode of…Soap”…
Rsox –
Haha, good man I just laughed my ass off, I used to love that show. Too bad I can’t find episodes of Soap anywhere.
Anyways, thanks for the throwback ….
LMAO I needed that thank you very much!
Likewise. Great comment and great show!
YES INDEED
Hitting cleanup in his first MLB game. Starting at 3B for tonight but bound for SS soon enough. McClain to 2B and India to 3B. India has been taking grounders at 3B for a week now, so the writing was on the wall.
They thought it was graffiti and painted over it.
Yet, that is what the team will do in the days to come.
Please I know history says you are 100% correct it’s giving this 49 year old HOPE for a pennant anything else would probably put me in the hospital for a massive heart attack
Wow! (with apologies to the sham wow guy but it is deserved). It will be interesting to see Elly at GABP!
With all the young talent combined with a terrible division, they could somehow make a run and win the central.
i believe that is the goal here. more success stories like mclain and probably abbott, and lower level talent could be swapped for controllable pitching and maybe outfielding into cincy come the deadline.
No chance they win the Central or even make the wildcard. While their infusion of young talent will make for an exciting season. there are just too many holes for them to complete for the playoffs. Besides Fraley, the OF is suspect and besides H. Greene, that rotation is a mess.
G. Ashcraft looked like an ace the first month of the season with 4 quality starts out of 5, pitching into the 6th or 7th inning in all but one start. But then May hit and he had only one quality start out of 6. In 3 of those starts he pitched 11.2 innings and gave up 22 earned runs. And in his first start in June he gave up “10” in 5 innings.
Nick Lodolo is on the IL and hasn’t looked good in 7 starts and I am not sure what to expect from Lively,Weaver and B. Williamson. Now Abbot looked amazing in his first start and I wonder if he does it again vs the Cards do they keep him in the rotation or send him down as expected?
Either way, the future is looking bright for the Reds as their infield is set with India,
McCain, Cruz and Steer. With Stephenson and Maile behind the plate, Fraley in the OF and possibly Fairchild, but I am not sold on Will Benson. Since I have MLBTV I will be watching a lot more Reds games than I have in the past few years.
Kudos to the Reds and their fan base.
TJ Friedl is the best outfielder the Reds have, if you ask me. I like Fraley, but he’s a platoon bat.
Cincyfan-
Please forgive me, I had a brain fart and forgot about him because he was on the IL. Yes, he is definitely better than Fraley and both of them give you a 1-2 punch from the OF. Maybe Fairchild can complete the trio cause I am not sold on Benson.
You must be pretty stoked right now. Glad you have something to look forward to during the
Summer.
How many wins will take the division in your view? I don’t think it will be more than 85.
85 wins could easily win the division.
As of right now it’s between the Brewers and the Pirates. The question will come down to whether the Pirates get any decent pitching down the stretch. We know the Brewers are getting reinforcements in Lauer, Ashby and Woodruff. Plus they just got Urias back and could call up Frelick in late July.
As for the Cardinals I don’t see them mounting a run, the Reds will be exciting to watch with their youth movement but that rotation is a mess. Besides Greene there is no one worth talking about. Ashcraft looked like an ace for the first month of the season but since then his 6.64 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 12 starts is atrocious. Even if Abbot sticks in the rotation and pitches better than expected they just don’t have enough to make a real run. And we know all about the Cubs.
I think you spent too much of your reply talking about the Cubs.
Right. That NL Central is really up for grabs.
It is despite what a little birdie told you.
Yes indeed
Oodles and oodles of O’s y’all
That Reds division winner bet isn’t starting to look so crazy after all… 90% won’t happen but they definitely have the talent there
Thank You for not dousing gas and lightning it up with a NO CHANCE comment about my Red’s (ALL RED’S FAN’S) this move and a few other adjustments the 2023 Red’s have a CHANCE you know kinda like those 1990 Red’s that were told they were going to be swept in the Series. 33 year rebuild has finally arrived and it’s looking like the organization can see it coming and they are reacting (BELL DOESN’T ALLOW ANOTHER pitcher to get smoked for 10 runs before pulling em) he costed the Red’s a Win THANK YOU AGAIN
Will Elly De La Cruz play third base regularly with McClain at shortstop and India at second base?
Or
India at third, Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, and McClain shifting to second base?
I would think they want a regular infield lineup…
That appears to be the plan…India & Cruz will DH as well from time to time.
Probably the former since you don’t have multiple people switching positions. Getting acclimated to the Show is hard enough as it is.
I agree. With De La Cruz’s size, he is likely to add weight going forward which will impact his range. Plus, his injury risk is probably less at 3B.
Hopefully they do what makes a ton of sense and keep De La Cruz at short until he proves he can’t play there. Put India back at his natural position 3rd base. And slide McClain over to 2nd which is probably his best fit as well.
I think they’ll experiment with those guys playing several spots and the OF to see what the best fit is. Presumably where you said is best but Steer/Encarnacion-Strand will play 3B as well after Votto comes back from IL
You think so? I think Votto will see a majority of his time as the DH and occasionally at first base to give Steer and Stephenson a break.
Steer is already in LF tonight, which could be his long-term home since Votto is coming back soon anyway. Not sure where CES plays but probably 1st and DH, and maybe some corner outfield if he can handle.
Mauired –
Fraley is the normal LFer and when healthy Friedi is the CFer with Starfield in RF. So far this season Steer has only played 1st and 3B and tonight will be his first start in the OF. I don’t see them all of a sudden making him their everyday LFer.
I personally think Steer in LF lets you know whete their head is at when CES comes up. He may be next one debuting and playing 1B. David Bell doesn’t seem to like a full time DH, he would rather rotate guys through it.
That sounds like a plan & makes more sense than any other lineup, and I’m really excited about the 2023 Cincinnati Red’s, it’s been a very very very long rebuild SMH but looking forward to these young guns as the rest of the Red’s Fan’s have been doing since 1991……
B. According to David Bell they have been having India take infield practice at 3B in preparation for this day. De LA Cruz will start at 3B tonight, but the plan is to move him to SS and McClain to 2B asap.
“De La Cruz will likely play mostly shortstop and third base for the Reds. Another prospect, De La Cruz’s former Louisville teammate Matt McLain, has been playing shortstop for Cincinnati since his own May 15 promotion. McLain often played second base at Louisville when De La Cruz was at shortstop.
… move second baseman Jonathan India to third base, first base or designated hitter. India has recently been taking ground balls at third.”
Combine that quote from Mark Sheldon’s article with Bell’s comments and B is the answer most nights. Like every team, it’s nice to have players with some positional flexibility so that when there are injuries or match up issues you can move them around and that is certain to happen in Cincinnati.
Exciting time to be a Reds fan. It would be great to see them make a run at the NL Central title this year, but 2024 & beyond should be prime contention years for this Reds club so long as the kids keep performing and they add a few key veterans to the roster.
That last part is the most important part.
Yes it is. They need pitching. A starter or two if Lodolo ,Ashcraft and Williamson don’t produce.(or are not physically able to produce) going forward. A couple or so pitchers in the minors seem to be a couple of years away.
Nice to see a bit of excitement in Cincy, it’s been far too long.
The Reds were in the post season 3 years ago.
I really like this right now. The Reds are currently within 5 games of a playoff spot in a weak division. Will they stay around there for long? I’m not so bullish on that, but with the Dodgers coming to town and their weaker starters lined up for the first two games, it’s a good chance for him to get thrown right into the fire, especially since they won’t have a solid scouting report on him. You want to be the best, gotta beat the best.
ABSOLUTELY
As a non Reds fan, but a baseball fan, I’m excited. Ive been watching this guy progress through the minors and it will be great to see him in a MLB ballpark. Seeing a couple of super freak athletes in same division – once O’Neil Cruz’s ankle recovers – hopefully for years to come, is great for the game. And that both players are not from NY/LA/Chicago teams, even better.
Cruz and De La Cruz each trying to outdo the other. I second (or maybe third) that WOW!
Not sure why they did not call up Elly De La Cruz on Friday for the big showdown with the Brewers?
The Reds just finished their most important June Series in about a decade…
He is not any more ready today than he was four days ago?
The Reds actually prioritized getting journeyman Kevin Newman (not good enough for the Pirates) at bats vs. the Brewers…
Because the only reason he is up is due to the fact Senzel was put on the IL the same day. If not for that we probably wouldn’t be seeing him until sometime in July.
They need to be pulling the guns out like this. The NL is weak so far and they are within striking distance. At least try to finish above 500 and build some momentum for next year; figure out where you are at with as many of these young players as you can. About the same run differential as Miami (actually ahead of them) who currently holds a WC spot.
In the lineup today?
MLB blackouts are officially the worst thing in existence.
Try Proton VPN — there’s a free version that will let you have a few international servers that work for me.
Where is he playing with John McClain at SS?
John McCain has very limited mobility these days. In fact, he’s fallen and will never, ever get up..
Matt McClain* Unless you were talking about Die Hard. haha
It’s actually Matt McLain, but I was meaning Matt and had Die Hard on the brain.
Hey Zeus…
6 foot 5 short shop is weird
I agree and doesn’t have much of a history of being successful defensively.. That size frame usually adds weight to it going forward which slows mobility.and range. I would cut bait and move him to 3B or the OF now versus later.
Cal Ripken Jr. was 6′-4″ and he seemed to be an OK player.
The exception, not the norm. Why start him out there if you know he will likely have to move to another position sooner rather than later. Then you will be looking for a SS. Maybe they are hoping Arroyo can be the answer at SS down the road..
Because if a guy can play a high value position well he goes from valuable to insanely valuable. Cal Ripken hitting .270 with 25 home runs would have been OK for a LF but because he played well at SS he was an all-time great player. Same for Mauer and Posey behind the plate, Once they moved to 1B they didn’t have a great deal of value. The question is, can EDC be the next Eric Davis or a shortstop like baseball has never seen before? The Mariners did not regret playing Alex Rodriguez at SS even though he later moved once he was long gone from Seattle.
He’s a big guy for an infielder, then again Oneil Cruz is another big infielder so there’s a few of them out there now.
It’s wild how a narrative can change over the course of a couple of months. Most publications had the Reds 30th out of 30 teams throughout the offseason because they didn’t waste money adding free agents to what was supposed to be a bad team. They give the kids a chance to play and what do you know service time equals a bit of success. We have got to see quite a few young Reds players get their first extended taste of MLB this year and they have been fun to watch. It’s only going to get more exciting now that they’ve called up the BMOC to do his thing. They still have to get the job done on the field but this team went from laughingstock to a couple pitchers away very quickly.
Yes, but that is only because injuries forced their hands.. I doubt they would have started the youth movement this soon if injuries didn’t force the matter . Sure we all expected to see Cruz, McCain and Abbot at some point, mostly like after the all-star break or in August as the team wasn’t going to be competing.
INJURIES:
Votto has been out since the start of the season and is out until probably the end of the month. Myers is out to mid June or later, Friedi out until mid June, possibly longer, N. Senzel is out until mid June or later. The rotation has been hit just as hard as only Ashcraft and Greene are the only original starters from opening day not to miss a start due to injury. Since the start of the season they lost Overton, Cessa, Lodolo due to injury or being cut.
This is interesting……
Last night I was remarking to some friends that the 2023 season thus far hasn’t produced overwhelming young stars as recent seasons have. Not just rookies, but 2nd or 3rd year players that broke through with a vengeance.
There are no Tatis Jr’s, Acuna Jr.’s, Strider’s, Rutschman’s, etc. that came up to transform their teams. The closest we seem to have is the national sports media fawning over Anthony Volpe because he plays for the Yankees in NYC…..while if he played for an average small or midmarket team would pretty much be ignored. Not taking away from Corbin Carroll, who’s a quality player that helps the D-Backs tremendously, but not really dominant yet.
De La Cruz has that potential.
Corbin Carroll is very close to that top tier and runs about as well as any recent prospect. He has showed better than expected power for his size and I would put him in the Top 25 most valuable players in baseball right now. If the season ended today, he would most certainly finish in the top five in NL MVP voting.
Ecarnacion-Strand must have burnt down an orphanage or something. They are calling everyone else up but him. The guy had a killer spring and is hitting .342 with 14 HRs at AAA. His K to BB rate is even improved.
Where is he going to play? Steer and Stephenson are splitting time at 1B, Votto is nearing a return and will mostly be the full time DH. So where does he play?
He might be part of a package for a big arm on a small team
I could see that happening more than them bringing him up to just be a bat off the bench.
Encarnacion-Strand was part of a package with Spencer Steer and a pitching prospect(?) from the Twins at last year’s deadline in return for Tyler Mahle. With Mahle now on the shelf until free agency it’s pretty safe to say the Reds have already won that trade. Maybe E-Strand’s stock has risen since then, but if that’s what it takes to get an oft-injured mid-rotation pitcher the Reds should probably hold onto him.
You’re kiddin, right? No way in hell they’re trading CES… he’s the firstbaseman of the future.
love it
can’t wait to see him play
along with 6’7″ cruz he’ll usher in the era of tall shortstops
He looked average at best in winter ball and looked terrible in last year’s future game.
That’s all the sample size I need. Definitely a bust.
Meanwhile Encarnacion-Strand continues to terrorize minor league pitchers.
Meanwhile Encarnacion-Strand will continue to terrorize minor league pitching. As there is no position for him to play.
DH
Votto, Stephenson and sometimes Steer.
Interestingly Steer is starting in LF today.
Hopefully this kid and O’Neill Cruz will be lighting up SportsCenter Top 10 reels for years to come
You still watch Sportcenter? Wow.. smh
Teams really need to stop with the corny promposal videos where they tell players they are being sent to the majors.
I’m sorry I stepped on your lawn earlier.
Oh gosh darn. You got me there. I guess it should have been expected someone who likes those videos would make a cookie cutter boring response like that.
Now the issue of the Reds just trading for shortstops at last year’s deadline is starting to shine through. They have several guys ready to graduate to the bigs together, but half of them play in the same spot and they have virtually no outfield help. In theory, you could move guys around, but why would you risk that? It has pretty much ruined Nick Senzel’s career doing it that way. They need to trade 2-3 of their infield prospects for outfielders.
I know that people will call me crazy for suggesting trading Elly because someone with a computer put a big #3 next to his name, but he still just a ball player. And I am not saying they HAVE to trade Elly, but they should trade someone of the group. And if they do trade Elly, getting back one of the top OF prospects for him might not be a bad idea. James Wood, Evan Carter, or even Jordan Walker would fit much better to the Reds roster than Elly.
Friedl has done write well in the OF and Fraley has done pretty good. Adding a veteran OF in the offseason is much cheaper and easier to come by then adding 3B, SS, or 2B. As far as Senzel, he’s hitting above his career avg and on sane pace as any other year HR wise. I really don’t think the Reds ruined him in any way, it’s just what he is at this point and what he has been.
A lot of his injuries happened in the outfield due to his poor route running and/or running into the fence. Not trying to convert him to an outfielder after him being a lifelong infielder could have saved him from the injuries that significantly hurt his development. It’s not a guarantee it would have helped, but this is just a theoretical argument. There are no guarantees anywhere.
Senzel proved he wasn’t an outfielder, and he has hutt himself again playing the infield, so that wasn’t the reason for his injuries. They should frankly not count on him, but they did this offseason and had to give up too much for Benson, who was not worth it.
As for trading excess infielders, it will probably be aoneone like Arroyo, who is a ways away. Maybe Marte, but they seem to be high on him and he looks like a future corner outfielder, so I doubt it.
Trade Elly huh? That comment is enough to make me never read another comment on MLBTR… You don’t trade a generational talent like him. Not one of the names you mentioned could carry his jockstrap. You should be embarrassed and ashamed… Go to your room.
They are all “just ball players” ultimately. But corner OF help is much cheaper and easier to find than elite 5 tool IFs. Your proposition of trading a 5 tool 3B for a RF who has less power and speed is absolutely laughable.
Under your school of thought the Braves should trade Harris for Gallo, cus they re “just ball players” and Harris has had a bad sophomore year and Braves could use a boost at DH with Ozuna cooling back off.
I didn’t say they should trade him for a bum. But trading him for a position of need makes sense.
Trading EDLC makes NO sense whatsoever. You don’t trade a generational talent, at a premium position, with six years of control, and multiple years of low cost, PERIOD.
Not for an OF prospect, not for Mike Trout, not for anything or anyone. EDLC is a player you build a contender around, not a trade chip. SMH
Lost in the hype over Mclain, Abbott, & EDLC, is the promotion of TJ Hopkins a couple days ago. I believe he’ll be a solid contributor as well. If Lodolo is healthy by ASB, and a couple of Reds relievers (Antone, Santillan, Law, and/or Sanmartin return soon- I believe the Reds pitching can support a run to winning baseball if not playoff contention in the 2nd half.
Honestly, I don’t think that is enough to challenge for the division or wild card. There is no one after Greene and Ashcraft has been absolutely terrible of late.
Those injured now relievers could make a big difference in a bullpen that has run out the same three guys a lot before Diaz if they have a lead. They are showing signs of wear already and it is early June.
The Reds can make things very interesting in the NL Central if the kids continue to perform. David Bell’s seat may be getting a little cooler these days
A lot of Ks on that resume.
Interestingly Steer is starting in LF today.
The Reds have put together a great young team. Fk the Mets, Dodgers and Yankees
2 out of 3 I agree with you. The Mets? Meh!
Did Noelvi Marte die or something?
I just don’t see how we can discuss the Reds’ infield situation and expel the kid from that discussion.
He is still in AA so he is about a year away and there is no more room in the infield. You can say the same about Arroyo. A big reason I thought EDLC would wind up in CF but with Friedl out there and experimenting with Steer in LF to accomodate CES, I am beginning to think RF with EDLCs arm.
ELDC should be playing CF. I’m still not sold on Freidl. With his size, speed, and arm, MLB could pre-order 10 Gold Glove awards with his name etched on them and just hand him a new one every season.
I said that originally too. Always thought Friedl more of a LF myself. They seem to have other plans.
EDLC is the goat
He has been as advertised so far. Let’s see what happens when the league figures him out. How he responds will tell all.
That is so true. There will be adjustments and counter adjustments. Let’s see where things shake out after the smoke clears.