A red-letter day

The arrival of top prospect Elly De La Cruz imbued the Reds and their fans with a sense that better days are just around the corner

The announcement came via Twitter at 12:46 p.m. yesterday. The Cincinnati Reds were promoting their top prospect from Triple-A Louisville. 21-year-old Dominican infielder Elly De La Cruz would make his major league debut against the Dodgers less than 6 1/2 hours later at Great American Ballpark.

ESPN ranks De La Cruz the #1 prospect in Baseball. Baseball America has him at #3. MLB Pipeline #4.

Baseball’s most dynamic prospect left his parents at age 6 to live with the brother of a coach who would train him and help him develop his game. At 10, he moved to Santo Domingo to face better competition. Still, when the time came to sign a pro contract at age 16, only one team was interested, and he signed with the Reds for the meager sum of $65,000 in 2018. Two years later, when all major league clubs dropped 2 Rookie-level minor league affiliates, he feared he was on the verge of being released before his pro baseball journey even began to pick up steam.

But here he is, ascending to the big leagues, hearing comparisons to the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he is a true 5-tool prospect, turning heads at every stop over the last 3 seasons with the rare blend of 40-home run, 40-stolen base potential that, particularly when you stitch #44 on the back of his Reds jersey, evokes memories of a young Eric Davis.