Elly De La Cruz has prodigious raw power.
But for more than a month, the Cincinnati Reds’ superstar hasn’t shown it off. Not once.
De La Cruz didn’t hit a single home run in August, and he has yet to homer in September. It’s pretty much unfathomable.
Entering Friday, that’s a span of 154 at bats. De La Cruz homers in about three percent of his career ABs, so he should have at least five home runs in the span by his rate (which includes this homerless stretch, so it was really a tad higher before this).
It’s not like Elly is getting his production in other ways.
He’s batting .214 since August 1. That comes with a .554 OPS.
Even with the slump, De La Cruz has a .774 OPS this season. It’s unbelievable how tough it has been for him over the last month and change.
And even with that, the Reds are right in the thick of things.
Cincinnati is playing well and is just 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot. The Reds and San Francisco Giants are both that same margin behind the Mets.
And that’s with Elly playing the way he has.
All it could take to make the playoffs is one closing hot streak from De La Cruz. Everyone knows he has it in him.
He just has to bust out of this slump and help the Reds bash their way into the final postseason spot with just a couple weeks to go.
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