Cincinnati Reds: Francona, Krall impressed with the growth of Elly De La Cruz

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz (44) high-fives first base coach Collin Cowgill (54) after hitting a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

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Credit: AP

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz (44) high-fives first base coach Collin Cowgill (54) after hitting a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona is sitting back in the chair at his office and formulating a list in his head. He’s rolling through the players he has managed who desperately wanted to play every single day.

Francona didn’t reveal the specific names, but clearly he was thinking of some pretty good baseball players.

“I’ve been around a couple of guys that desperately want to play as much as (Elly De La Cruz),” Francona said. “The guys I’m talking about are pretty special. He’s in that group.”

De La Cruz was named an All-Star earlier this week, which is another milestone during a season where the Reds’ shortstop has taken another leap forward.

“He’s a guy that just continues to learn to play the game,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “You’re seeing an evolution and maturation with what he has done. His at-bat quality — you saw (last Friday) how he’s using the opposite field to get runs in as opposed to (thinking) I’ve got to muscle up and try to hit a homer to put us way up. Just taking your bases when you get them. Stealing bases, it’s not about stealing the base. It’s about understanding the situations, why I’m doing this and understanding how this affects the team. That’s been a big thing that’s really fun to watch.”

Even though De La Cruz has been banged up a bit at a few different points this season, he has made a point to play every single day. De La Cruz is the Reds’ best hitter, and he also helps set the tone.

When Francona met De La Cruz during the offseason, the veteran manager told the shortstop that he wanted De La Cruz to be the best player on the best team in baseball. Sure, De La Cruz could hit big home runs. Francona was focused on making sure that De La Cruz did the little things right.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, left, catches Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, right, stealing during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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“He’s making a concerted effort to be a winning player,” Francona said. “He’s always going to have to fight, especially at this age, his ceiling. There’s nothing he can’t do. My message to him has always been in the confines of winning baseball, that’s where I want to see your tools. Then, it’s pretty special. He’s trying.”

The biggest statistical difference in De La Cruz’s 2025 season is that he isn’t stealing bases as much. While De La Cruz stole 67 bases last season, he only has 22 steals through the first 91 games of the 2025 season.

“He does have the green light, but there are times where it’s not advantageous to us winning,” Francona said. “You can’t expect someone to do something for a couple of years and then, boom, hey… It takes some time. He has done a great job of listening. He’s very conscientious. He wants to be one of the very best players in the game.”

He has made several subtle improvements to his game this season. De La Cruz is better versus left-handed pitching, he makes much better swing decisions, he’s whiffing less often, he’s using the entire field, he’s working tougher at-bats and he’s doing a better job on the routine plays at shortstop.

Francona has really enjoyed managing the 23-year-old star.

“His ability to show energy every day and go full-speed from the get-go is pretty amazing,” Francona said.


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