On Tuesday, June 6th, the Cincinnati Reds announced that they have promoted top prospect Elly De La Cruz to the MLB level. This has fans all over the country, but especially Reds fans are incredibly excited to see what the young star can do. So far in 38 games at AAA Louisville, Cruz has mashed the ball, hitting 12 homers, 14% BB%, .437 wOBA, and a 152 wRC+. Also, while posting these incredible numbers offensively, Cruz has posted mind-blowing exit velocities, sometimes even eclipsing 116 MPH.

With the star shortstop being a switch-hitter, the Reds have endless possibilities for lineup construction with the young star now on the team as well. Cruz boasts an incredible set of tools all across the board, such as a 55 grade hit tool, 60 grade power tool, 70 grade running tool, 60 grade arm tool, and a 55 grade fielding tool. As you can see, Cruz is one of the most balanced and exciting young stars the game has ever seen.

Just how excited are Reds fans for the young star to debut? As soon as it was announced that he would be promoted, fans rushed to MLB’s website to purchase tickets for tonight’s game. So many people tried to purchase tickets in fact, MLB’s website is currently offline due to high traffic. With the Cincinnati Reds currently being in one of the darkest places they’ve ever seen, Cruz hopes to bring fans some much needed hope for the seasons ahead.

What can we expect from Cruz at the big league level? Fans should expect to see high power numbers, leading to 40-50 home run seasons, elite baserunning which could lead to upwards of 70 stolen bases with MLB’s rule changes, and a fun player all across the diamond. Cruz is truly a can’t miss prospect, and is someone that the entire league should have their eyes on.

Welcome to the MLB Elly, your future is just getting started!