Hitting: 40 Power: 70 Speed: 70 Fielding: 55 Arm: 70 BA Grade: 70 Risk: Very High
Born: January 11, 2002. B-T: B-R. HT: 6-5. WT: 200.
Signed: Dominican Republic, 2018.
Signed by: Richard Jimenez.
TRACK RECORD: In 2008, the Reds signed outfielder Juan Duran as one of their top targets on the international market. Duran was 6-foot-3 when he signed, but he quickly grew to 6-foot-7 in the next year. His body struggled to handle the sudden growth spurt, and he became a hulking, strikeout-prone slugger rather than the well-rounded outfielder the Reds thought they were signing. Like Duran, De La Cruz gained four inches soon after he signed. But unlike Duran, De La Cruz transformed from a skinny, overlooked Dominican teenager into a potential star following his the growth spurt. As De La Cruz grew to 6-foot-5—or taller, as some officials suggest—he’s gotten stronger and faster, thanks to his growth spurt and plenty of training. He went from a $65,000 signee in 2018 to a player who needed just 11 games in the Arizona Complex League in 2021 to prove he was too advanced for the level. Sent to High-A Dayton to start the 2022 season, De La Cruz finished second in the league with 20 home runs despite being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga in mid July.
De La Cruz has the best raw power in the Reds organization. He’s also one of the fastest players. And he has the strongest arm. Add it all up and he’s the best athlete the Reds have had since the days of Eric Davis and Deion Sanders. De La Cruz has long levers and a big strike zone. His strikeout rate of nearly 31% in 2022 ranked in the bottom 15% of all minor league hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. He was the only batting title qualifier to strike out at least 30% of the time while also hitting .300. While De La Cruz isn’t just a hacker at the plate, his strikeout rate is the major hurdle standing in the way of stardom. De La Cruz’s lefthanded swing is smoother and more powerful than his more contact-oriented righthanded one. His intelligence, focus and determination draw nearly as many raves as his tools. He has quickly picked up English, which has helped him become a team leader despite always
