Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz continues to dazzle as one of baseball’s most dynamic young talents, but the path to true elite status still hinges on refining a pair of stubborn shortcomings.
Ranked among the game’s top 50 players in Jeff Passan’s midseason ESPN update, the Reds star has already shown clear progress in several areas this season.
He is driving the ball with more authority, sitting on 20 home runs with a slugging percentage that has stayed near .500 for much of the year. His walk rate has climbed close to 11 percent, reflecting better plate discipline, and his defense has rebounded after a rough 2025 campaign.
At just 24 years old, the combination of size, power, speed, and switch-hitting ability makes him one of the most exciting players in the sport.
Yet Passan’s same evaluation that praises his all-around game also points directly to the two areas that must improve if he is to climb into the true top tier.
First is the strikeout total. De La Cruz still swings and misses too often, limiting the number of times his elite tools can actually impact the baseball. Reducing those empty trips to the plate would keep him in more counts where his power and speed can take over.
The second issue is performance from the left side of the plate. As a switch-hitter, he bats left-handed against right-handed pitchers, and that side of his game has lagged. His OPS from the left side sits at .774, while from the right side it jumps to 1.092. Closing that gap would make him far more dangerous against the majority of pitchers he faces.
These are not minor tweaks. Right-handed pitchers dominate major-league staffs, so an improved left-handed approach would unlock consistent production across a full season. Pair that with fewer strikeouts and the ceiling becomes enormous.
De La Cruz already ranks among the best all-around players in baseball, yet the report notes he still has plenty of room to grow. The physical gifts and athletic profile are already in place.
What remains is the refinement of contact skills and the ability to punish right-handers with the same authority he shows against lefties.
If those adjustments take hold, the leap from very good to great feels almost inevitable. For a player this young and this gifted, the remaining steps are clear.
Cut the strikeouts, strengthen the left-handed stroke, and the rest of the baseball world will have no choice but to watch a superstar fully arrive.
