Cincinnati Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz is on a 23-game on-base streak, and his fiery stretch would stand in a league of its own if not for Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. Over the course of his last 23 games, De La Cruz has 21 singles, 10 doubles, eight home runs, 23 runs scored, 10 walks and four stolen bases. The only other player in MLB history to reach those numbers over the course of 23 games is Gehrig, who accomplished the feat from June 9-30, 1930.
De La Cruz is having the best year of his four-year career so far, setting career highs in nearly every offensive statistic this season. His 28 homers and .885 OPS both rank as career bests, and every number in his slash line is an improvement upon his previous seasons. Since Aug. 22, when his streak began, he has the best wRC+ in MLB with a 242 mark, and is reaching base nearly half the time.
His 2.4 fWAR in that span is also the best of all MLB players, including MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. Even more impressively, five of his eight homers during his on-base streak have come against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he hit bombs off of Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others. Despite De La Cruz's impressive season — as well as standout performances from players like Sal Stewart and surprise contributions from JJ Bleday — the Reds are already eliminated from postseason contention with a 71-81 record and sit last in their division.
The NL Central is the strongest division in the National League, and having to deal with the 95-win Milwaukee Brewers in four series over the course of the season naturally decreases their odds of maintaining a solid record. They snuck into the postseason last year, but fell out of the Wild Card round after facing the Dodgers and failing to win a game. Despite their disappointing season this year, the Reds have several positives to carry into 2027 as they look to return to the postseason and make their way to the World Series for the first time this millennium.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
