Elly De La Cruz shows ridiculous speed to beat out a ground ball to FIRST base in Reds win vs Astros

Cincinnati Reds top-ranked prospect Elly De La Cruz once again put his full speed on display in the team’s 9-7 win over the Houston Astros.

With one out and a man on second base during the top of the sixth inning De La Cruz unbelievably reached first base safely, as he dove headfirst into the bag on a ground ball that was fielded on a sliding stop by Astros first baseman Jose Abreu.

‘He’s just a great base runner,’ Reds manager David Bell said. ‘He has some incredible instincts … (and) he has the speed to go with it.’ 

Recently De La Cruz claimed ‘I am the fastest man in the world,’ while joking around with the Reds broadcasters during a post game interview.

And he certainly showed his impressive pace on Sunday.

Reds prospect Elly De La Cruz once again put his wheels on full display during Sunday’s game 

De La Cruz made it to first base safely on a ground ball fielded at first base by Jose Abreu (L)

The win also marked the eighth straight victory for the Reds which is also the longest active streak in the majors and the team’s longest since winning 10 straight in July 2012.

‘The magic you see is just a culture that’s been created. … You guys are just seeing what’s been specifically worked on and we’re trying to cultivate since spring training started and quite honestly, since toward the end of last year,’ left fielder Jake Fraley said. 

Since making his major league debut on June 6 the No. 4 ranked prospect in all of MLB has dazzled fans with not only his explosive speed, but also the power he displayed when he belted a 458-foot-long ball against the Dodgers.

The Reds would go on to win the game 9-7 over Houston and push their winning streak to eight

He has also recorded an impressive list of team stats within the six games as well, per Baseball America’s JJ Cooper, including: the two hardest-hit balls by any Reds player this year, six fastest sprint speeds recorded by any Reds player this year, and the hardest throw by any Reds infielder this year. 

Along with Fraley, De La Cruz also drove in a run in the third inning.

‘That game today was impressive,’ Bell added. 

‘It was a great road trip, but today it wasn’t a perfect game. We overcame mistakes with a lot of great play. That’s what it’s all about.’