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Cincinnati Reds' Electric Phenom Will Look to Join Rare Baseball History in Month of May

With the calendar now flipped to May, Cincinnati Reds' phenom Elly De La Cruz is looking to put his name in even more record books.

Brady Farkas

Apr 30, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) runs to
Apr 30, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) runs to / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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After a brilliant April, Cincinnati Reds' phenom Elly De La Cruz has his eyes on more history in the month of May.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Elly De La Cruz had 8 HR and 17 SB in April — the 1st player with at least that many HR & SB in a calendar month (since at least 1901)

only 5 players have had multiple calendar months with 5+ HR & 15+ SB (since 1901):

Rickey Henderson (June ’90, May ’86, June ’85)
Barry Bonds (Sept ’96, July ’91)
Eric Davis (June-July ’86)
Joe Morgan (Aug ’76, Aug ’73)
Lou Brock (Aug ’70, July ’66)

so, only De La Cruz’s fellow Reds’ No. 44 did this twice in a single season…for now!

One of the most electric players in game, De La Cruz seems to have figured out how to use his amazing skillset this year. Furthermore, with better discipline and a better approach at the plate, he's getting in more favorable counts (allowing him to do damage), and he's getting on base more (allowing him to run more).

De La Cruz started off the month of May with a 1-for-3 day on Wednesday as the Reds lost to the Padres, 6-2.

They are now 16-15 on the season while San Diego is 16-18.

The Reds will be off on Thursday but they will start a new series on Friday night with the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles.

At this point, the Orioles have not listed a probable starter for that game. The Reds will go with Hunter Greene, who is 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.