Elly De La Cruz is one of the fastest players in Major League Baseball, and now he has cleats that pay homage to his speed.
Over the weekend, De La Cruz debuted gingerbread man-themed cleats that embrace his speed and create a connection to the subject of 1875's St. Nicholas tale's speedy hero.
Elly De La Cruz is so fast, you can't catch him - he has Gingerbread Man Jordan cleats 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/3h3CHpbixR
— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2024
These cleats match the gingerbread man sliding gloves the Cincinnati Reds shortstop has been sporting for a while.
Not the gumdrop buttons! pic.twitter.com/23U4iVNqwi
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 22, 2024
There's no word on whether De La Cruz can run away from a little old woman, a little old man, or if a fox could eventually catch him.
De La Cruz entered Wednesday's action leading MLB with 59 stolen bases. That's 21 more than Shohei Ohtani, who occupies second place with 38. The 22-year-old is more than just a fast runner. So far this season he's slashing .258/.341/.484, with 21 home runs, 53 RBIs, 28 doubles, eight triples, and an OPS of .825. He has produced 4.0 WAR, which ranks eighth in the National League.
While all those numbers are great, the custom cleats really put the whole package over the top.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Elly De La Cruz's Custom Cleats Paying Homage to His Speed Are Awesome.
