CHICAGO – Elly De La Cruz led the majors with 67 stolen bases this year. He led the Cincinnati Reds in home runs, triples and doubles. He earned an All-Star selection in his first full season in the majors.
He also led the majors in strikeouts, errors, getting caught stealing and non-CS outs on the bases.
It would seem the sky’s the limit with the ultra-talented shortstop as he heads into his age 23 season next year. The sky and the quality of his decisions as he matures.
It’s certainly how the Reds view it as they look ahead to next season with their rising star in the middle of their plans for a competitive lineup in 2025 and what they tell him to work on this winter.
“His overall focus, his overall game,” interim manager Freddie Benavides said. “The defense in general; the balls to his left, taking pitches off. He’s got to take a mindset that every ball’s coming to him.”
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The breakout, All-Star seasons of both De La Cruz and $53 million, homegrown ace Hunter Greene were two of the biggest upsides in a Reds season so disappointing otherwise that it cost the manager his job.
Those two players figure to have outsized impact in whatever comes next for this team.
And considering the much larger issues with the team’s offense and fielding, that might make De La Cruz as important a figure as any single player moving forward.
“We tend to forget he’s 22 years old,” said Benavides, pointing out that some of the greatest shortstops in history had high error totals early in their careers.
“What he’s done has been phenomenal,” he said.
That doesn’t excuse the errors, especially considering most come on the more routine plays that come his way, suggesting the occasional lapses Benavides alluded to.
And it doesn’t mean he can’t improve his offensive production – perhaps significantly – with even incremental improvement on the contact rate.
When he struck out in his second and third at-bats in Sunday’s season finale, it ran his franchise-record total to 218 strikeouts, one more than Yoan Moncada in 2018 for fourth on MLB's all-time single-season list:
- 223 – Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks, 2009
- 222 – Adam Dunn, White Sox, 2012
- 219 – Chris Davis, Orioles, 2016
- 218 – ELLY DE LA CRUZ, 2024
- 217 – Yoan Moncada, White Sox, 2018
“The mistakes definitely will cut down,” Benavides said. “It’s more of a focus for him. Trusting himself. Making better decisions. I think that will be the big thing.
“And just reps after reps after reps. The more reps he gets the better he’ll be.”
He certainly got lots of those this season, playing in 160 games this year at one of the most demanding positions on the field. Only Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos and Milwaukee’s Willy Adames played more in the National League.
That might be the biggest thing he got out of this season, De La Cruz said, learning what it takes to play every day for six months.
“You’ve got to prepare yourself. You’ve got to be ready, prepare your body,” he said.
Despite what seemed obvious signs of fatigue in the final weeks of the season (in both the power and speed), De La Cruz said he doesn’t plan a different regimen than last year and what he discovered worked as a daily routine during the season.
“I’m going to work the same,” he said. “Working my body.
"I'll work on everything. I want to get better every day. At everything."
De La Cruz ended his season on a high note, hitting a two-run triple in the top of the 10th inning of the Reds' 3-0 victory over the Cubs Sunday. It was his 10th triple and and RBIs No. 75 and 76.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds boss: Elly De La Cruz must work on fielding 'focus,' 'taking pitches off'
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