While Elly De La Cruz is mostlikely dealingwith too much ground to make up behind Corbin Carroll in the National League Rookie of the Year race, the Reds understand that they have an outright star in the infield.
Since showingup to the huge leagues in June, De La Cruz hasactually wowed fans with his first-rate speed and injected plenty of enjoyment around the Reds franchise. But De La Cruz is a real five-tool gamer, and he has the arm to show it.
During Thursday’s videogame inbetween the Reds and Giants, De La Cruz captured Wilmer Flores at the plate with a relay toss that was clocked at a absurd 99.8 milesperhour.
ELLY THREW THIS BALL 99.8 MPH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iAElcf3qZR
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 20, 2023
The toss broke the record for the hardest-thrown infield help in the Statcast age (since 2015). It was a record that De La Cruz himself set simply 3 days ago with a 97.9 milesperhour toss from 3rd.
That arm is unique, and we shouldn’t be stunned to see De La Cruz leading triple digits with his infi