Two Legendary Shortstops Praise Reds Superstar Elly De La Cruz

Well deserved praise.

Jul 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) at bat in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds are playing on the national stage this weekend in a marquee event. The Speedway Classic takes place in Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, on FOX. A couple of former MLB superstars sang high praise for an up-and-coming superstar on the Reds.

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are big fans of Elly De La Cruz.

"This is what I hope for the baseball world, the Reds, whether it is this year or next year, they need to get into the postseason," Jeter said during the pregame show on FOX. "He's someone everyone needs to see."

De La Cruz is slashing .283/.362/.486 with 29 stolen bases. He's been an All-Star in each of the past two seasons. They believe he can develop into the best player in the world.

"Tonight, America gets to see what could be the best player in the game for the next 15 years," Rodriguez said.

De La Cruz is seeing major growth in nearly every statistical category, more importantly in cutting down his strikeout rate. In 2024, Elly had a 31.3% strikeout rate, that has dropped down to 24.5% while also increasing his walk rate from 9.9% to 10.7%.

The Reds have their superstar. The baseball world knows all about De La Cruz. Now the rest of the world is getting introduced to him.

Postponed

Saturday's game was suspended until Sunday due to rain. The game is expected to resume Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

"We're going to suspend tonight's game. ... We are optimistic for a better weather forecast for tomorrow," Michael Hill, MLB's senior vice president of on-field operations said on the broadcast.

More than 85,000 tickets were sold for Saturday's game. Many fans were forced to leave early due to weather and may not be able to return for Sunday's contest.

"Honestly, my first thought: I can't believe they did all this for one game," Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. "To be able to set all this up, get a playing surface ready, set the stands up in order to have the proper viewing, it's pretty incredible."

The Reds are hoping to win the series against the Braves and improve to 59-53 on the season.

Make sure you bookmark Cincinnati Reds Talk for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and daily coverage of the Cincinnati Reds!