Elly De La Cruz Already Getting Early All-MLB Buzz

De La Cruz has been fantastic to start the season.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) and shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) celebrate a win after the ninth inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Reds won the second game of the series, 9-2. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Reds are 18-10 to start the season, their best start since 2006. Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart are a big reason why.

On Tuesday, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports built out his 2026 All-MLB Team after one month of baseball. De La Cruz made the team, but Stewart did not.

"The Reds have only had three 30-30 guys in their history and the closest anyone ever came to 40-40 was when Eric Davis had 37 homers and 50 steals in 1987," Matt Snyder of CBS Sports wrote. "I bring this up because De La Cruz right now has nine home runs and six steals in 28 games. We know he's capable of a higher rate of stolen bases too, as he stole 67 in 2024. One of the most fun players in baseball continues to take steps forward as an all-around beast."

After struggling in the second half of last season due to a quad injury, De La Cruz has been fantastic in 2026. Through 28 games, the shortstop is slashing .274/.349/.558 with 14 extra-base hits and six stolen bases.

His average exit velocity of 95.9 mph is in the top 1% of Major League Baseball. His xSLG, xwOBAcon, and Hard Hit% are also in the upper echelon of the league.

Before the season, De La Cruz said the game is finally starting to slow down for him.

“We can control more things,” he told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. "We’re going to keep playing together. I think we’ve got a really good team this year. We’ll keep playing together and things are going to happen. It’s a mentality. We’ve been learning about the league since we’ve been up here in our first year. As the years go by, we learn how to win.”

So far this season, De La cruz is right. The Reds have a good team and he's been fantastic.

Was Stewart Snubbed?

Apr 25, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) draws a walk against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Sal Stewart has had a fantastic start to his rookie season, slashing .291/.385/.602 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases. Snyder chose Yankees' first baseman Ben Rice over Stewart. Was he snubbed?

As much as I want to be biased and say yes, he wasn't. Rice has been unbelievable to start the season. The 27-year-old is slashing .322/.47/.744 with 10 home runs in 28 games. He's also walking at an astonishing rate, 18.4% of the time.

As much as Stewart would be proud to win awards and get certain accolades, he wants to win more than anything else.

“(It’s about) the wins,” Stewart said. “This isn’t about me. It’s about the team.”

You can see all of Snyder's picks for his All-MLB Team here.