Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain are set to strengthen the Reds’ defense with their exceptional fielding abilities and strong throwing arms.
Elly De La Cruz ( Image via Baseball Prospectus )
The Cincinnati Reds’ infield lineup for the upcoming season is starting to come together, with one position firmly secured: shortstop. This 22-year-old player will be primarily stationed at shortstop, while other players will be rotating positions.
This decision has been made due to the surplus of everyday infielders on the Reds’ roster, requiring the team to be flexible and adaptable.
De La Cruz’s assignment to shortstop is part of the Reds’ overall strategy to optimize their infield. McLain, who played both shortstop and second base last season, is expected to take on second base. The current second baseman, Jonathan India, will need to be versatile.
The choice to place De La Cruz at shortstop and McLain at second base is also driven by defensive considerations. India has performed poorly in advanced metrics since his debut in 2021. The middle-infield combination of De La Cruz and McLain should provide an improvement.
De La Cruz made a significant impact upon his arrival in June, delivering some of the most exciting moments for the Reds in 2023. However, most of these highlights occurred during his first month in the major leagues.
During his first 30 games, De La Cruz had a batting average of .325 with an .887 OPS. However, in the final 68 games, his numbers dropped to .191 with a .627 OPS. Despite this, he led the team with 35 stolen bases and showed promise as a switch-hitter.
Towards the end of the season, a decline in De La Cruz’s performance, both offensively and defensively, was evident.
Elly De La Cruz pic.twitter.com/ICW6116Q6T
In response to this, the Reds have taken proactive measures to enhance De La Cruz’s performance. He did not participate in winter ball, but the Reds sent a hitting coach to his home in the Dominican Republic to work on mechanical adjustments for both sides of the plate.
These modifications are expected to help De La Cruz maintain consistent performance throughout the season.
According to the Source firstsportz.com