Elly De La Cruz led Major League Baseball with 29 errors last season. He also finished 11th in all of baseball with 15 outs above average.
Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric that measures a player’s fielding skill by accounting for the number and difficulty of plays they make.
Among shortstops, De La Cruz ranked 4th.
Despite these stats, Reds fans continue conversing about him possibly switching positions. Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall and Reds General Manager Brad Meador don’t want to join the conversation.
“Elly is our shortstop,” they both
If De La Cruz was the 4th best defensive shortstop while leading the league in errors, just think about how good he can be defensively when he cuts down on those errors and makes all the routine plays.
“While he is still an elite player, he still has a lot of room to grow as a 22-year-old, to continue to get better,” Krall said.
When the 22-year-old was asked if he sees a benefit in possibly switching to a position like center field, he responded, “No.”
Bringing in an experienced manager like Terry Francona will only accelerate De La Cruz’s development and help him reach his full potential.
De La Cruz has age on his side. He also has an organization that believes in him. There’s no reason why he won’t continue to grow at shortstop.
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