SEATTLE - Elly De La Cruz continues to be in a class of his own. The 22-year-old has had one of the best months in the history of the Majors, with eight home runs and 17 stolen bases in the month of April. According to MLB's Sarah Langs, De La Cruz is the first player with at least that many HR and SB in a calendar month since at least 1901.
ELLY!! pic.twitter.com/jaLaGIZqvO
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2024
But his offense hasn't been the only impressive part of his game this season. During that same game against the Padres, the Dominican is believed to have recorded the fastest throw in MLB history.
As De La Cruz was trying to make a play in the ninth inning, Statcast clocked the Dominican's throw at 106.9 miles per hour. Although the play resulted in an error as first baseman Jeimer Candelario couldn't catch De La Cruz' rocket, his throw was still faster than the previous record that belonged to Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle, who threw at 105.7 miles per hour last year.
Statcast says this throw by Elly De La Cruz was 106.9 mph. If true that would be the fastest throw in MLB history. #Reds #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/A8pGPLRqnp
— Kahn’s Big Red Smokeys Enthusiast (@ShutUpCraig) April 30, 2024
Playing in just his second season in the Majors, De La Cruz keeps on making plays that defy the laws of physics. Such has been his current form that he is on pace to have a never-before-seen season.
If he continues with his current pace, his 162-game run would take him to finish the season with a batting average of .281, 41 home runs, 104 RBIs, 145 runs scored and 104 stolen bases. Twenty nine games into the season, De La Cruz leads the Majors with 17 stolen bases, five more than reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who finished last season with with 73 bag swipes, the most by any player since José Reyes' 78 in 2007.
Although it sounds impossible, nothing seems out of the ordinary for De La Cruz in 2024. The last player to steal more than 100 bases in a single season was Vince Coleman in 1987, when he finished with 109 snagged bases.
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