Elly De La Cruz has had a fantastic start to his MLB career since the Cincinnati Reds called him up in June 2023. 

In three major league seasons, the Dominican Republic native is a two-time All-Star and received MVP votes in each of the past two seasons. Additionally, he led the MLB in stolen bases in 2024 with 67.

De La Cruz is fresh off another fantastic season, batting .264 and recording 22 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases while playing all 162 games.

The future is bright for De La Cruz and the Reds, and fans got another reason to be excited after a new video of him taking an offseason at-bat surfaced on X.

In 2022, Cincinnati finished with a 62-100 record. This was the second time the team ever recorded 100 or more losses in a single season, and the first since 1982. However, the team has quickly turned things around in three seasons since.

The Reds won 82, 77, and 83 games in their last three seasons, respectively. Additionally, they just made their first playoff appearance since 2020, though they got swept in the NL Wild Card round by the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cincinnati has a lot of talent, particularly within its pitching staff, but one big reason for its recent turnaround is the emergence of De La Cruz.

The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best young players in the major leagues, particularly due to his electric and well-rounded playstyle.

De La Cruz has proven that he can steal bases, hit home runs, and make highlight plays defensively at such a high level. Additionally, he is incredibly athletic and fast, which he often uses to his advantage. He has the potential to develop into a star in the MLB, and some within the Reds organization seem to believe so as well.

In July, Reds president Nick Krall praised De La Cruz's work ethic and potential, and he even compared him to franchise legend Joey Votto (h/t Charlie Goldsmith of Fox19.com).

“When you have a chance to be a potential superstar and he’s playing (every single day), that’s a game changer for us,” Krall said. “The way he works, the way he goes about it, how he gets his rest in, how he goes about everything he does. You saw it with Joey Votto. Joey Votto was one of the best I’ve ever seen with it. Elly has a lot of those same qualities. He wants to be a better and better player.”

As Cincinnati looks to follow up on its most successful season in years with another impressive campaign, a lot of pressure will fall onto De La Cruz to play his part and take that next step. But if his career so far is any indication, he will do exactly that as he aims to take another leap at the MLB level.