Elly named to All-MLB Second Team after 30-30 campaign in 2026
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CINCINNATI -- Following a career season and a 30-30 year offensively, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz received some recognition on Wednesday.
De La Cruz was named to the All-MLB Second Team during the fourth annual MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
During his fourth big league season, De La Cruz batted .283 with an .880 OPS, 30 homers, 79 RBIs and 30 steals in 143 games for Cincinnati with 6.4 WAR according to FanGraphs. The 24-year-old became the fourth Reds player to post a 30-homer, 30-steal season and the first since Brandon Phillips in 2007.
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"It's really special. That means a great season," De La Cruz said after securing his 30-30 season with a stolen base on Sept. 25 at Toronto. "I know as a group, this season didn't go the way we wanted to, but it's a great season individually."
Ahead of De La Cruz, Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was voted as the shortstop for the All-MLB First Team.
The All-MLB Team, established in 2019, annually recognizes baseball’s best at each position based on regular-season play. It's an initiative meant to honor players’ full-season contributions, since All-Star selections are based on first-half performances.
Fans voted at MLB.com to help choose First and Second Team selections at each position -- including three outfielders, a designated hitter, five starting pitchers and two relievers -- among this year's nominees. Only regular-season statistics and criteria were asked to be considered.
Previously, there had been only two Reds given All-MLB honors. Nick Castellanos was named to the Second Team outfield in 2021 and starting pitcher Trevor Bauer was on the First Team in 2020.
A two-time All-Star in 2024 and '25, the switch-hitting De La Cruz showed his biggest improvement as a right-handed hitter. He had a .990 OPS and 10 homers batting against left-handers in 2026, compared to a .618 OPS and five homers the previous season. It made it harder for opposing teams to try and exploit matchups or pitch around others to face him right-handed.
For the first time in his career, De La Cruz required a several-week stint on the injured list for a right hamstring strain starting on June 1. It snapped his streak of 276 consecutive games played.
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De La Cruz's year also saw him break a single-season club record for home runs by a switch-hitter, surpassing his 25 homers in 2024. He also enjoyed a 23-game on-base streak from Aug. 22-Sept. 16, which matched the career best he set earlier in the season from April 9-May 4. He was named the National League Player of the Month for September after he posted a 1.156 OPS and nine homers.
“He's still really young," Reds assistant bench coach Mike Napoli said. "He's still developing. He's getting better. He's hungry to get better. You would expect him to be that superstar. He's gotten better every single year. We expect him to get better.”