Cincinnati Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz is on tempo to realize a doubtful but spectacular MLB first.
Coming into play on Wednesday, the Reds shortstop led the league in strikeouts (202) and steals (64). Ought to the 22-year-old finish the season atop every class, he’ll be the primary to take action within the recreation’s storied historical past, per Baseball Reference.
It is all however assured that De La Cruz will earn the distinctive distinction. With solely 9 common season contests remaining for many groups, there is not a lot time left for anybody to catch him in both stolen bases or strikeouts.
De La Cruz has the stolen base crown within the bag. His subsequent closest competitors is Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who trails by 15 after swiping his forty ninth bag Wednesday in opposition to the Miami Marlins.
In the meantime, it is uncertain De La Cruz will relinquish the league lead in Ok’s. Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (187) and Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (183) are inside putting distance, although each gamers must fall into epic slumps over the season’s ultimate few weeks to catch up.
Contemplating the variety of occasions De La Cruz has gone down on strikes, it is outstanding that he leads the league in stolen bases. Nonetheless, rating thirty seventh in on-base share (.342) and seventeenth in walks (68) has helped his trigger.
De La Cruz’s upcoming mark is genuinely distinctive. To place it into context, solely three gamers in MLB historical past, Jonathan Villar (2016), Delino DeShields (1991) and Juan Samuel (1984), have recorded 50-plus stolen bases whereas additionally putting out 150 occasions or extra in a single season, per Stathead.
