Cincinnati Reds Have One of MLB's Most Underrated Players This Season

The Reds' best player is also one of the league's most underrated stars.

Sep 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates with teammates and coaches in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (not pictured) during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds don't have a lot to be excited about this season, but they have a few superstars on their roster. The top-end talent has kept them near .500 despite having a slew of holes in the roster.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently ranked Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz as the No. 2 shortstop in the league, behind Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr.

"Elly De La Cruz has had a tantalizing combination of power and speed from the moment he broke into the big leagues, but his overall game was largely unrefined, especially when it came to plate discipline and defense," Reuter wrote. "With a 133 OPS+ and a 23-homer, 24-steal performance, the power-speed production has been as expected, but the strides he has made with his on-base ability (.336 to .360 OBP) and defense (-3 to +7 OAA) have made him the NL's best shortstop."

De La Cruz has been a superstar all season, despite missing some time earlier in the year, and nobody is talking. At this point, De La Cruz is severely underrated by most of the fanbase.

Elly De La Cruz Has Been Better Than Many Realize

Sep 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) looks on during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Over the last 15 games, De La Cruz has been scorching hot. He's hitting near .500 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, 16 runs scored, and an OPS over 1.200. He has nine multi-hit games in that stretch of time. As for shortstops, he ranks third in batting average, second in slugging percentage, first in OPS, first in wRC+, and second in fWAR.

De La Cruz had question marks surrounding his defense last year, but he put those issues to bed by posting an elite defensive season this year. He's been worth five Fielding Run Value while posting seven Outs Above Average. Both marks rank near the top of the league.

De La Cruz has been elite with the bat. He's walking over 10 percent of the time while doing serious damage when he connects with the ball. He ranks in the 99th percentile in the league with an average exit velocity of 94.4mph. While his sprint speed is down a little bit, he has 25 stolen bases in 125 games. Pair that with his 24 home runs, 25 doubles, five triples, and .859 OPS, and you have one of the best players in the league.

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