Elly & Co. wrap a Red(s)-hot first half

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CINCINNATI -- The Reds have reached the All-Star break and find themselves far from the wilderness of a supposed rebuilding season and right in the middle of a playoff quest for the National League Central title.

Cincinnati has become the surprise sensation of Major League Baseball. The roster is loaded with athletic young players who are playing an exciting, aggressive brand of baseball.

It's been a group effort with a different player seemingly coming up with a big contribution each game. But with the break here, this is a good time to single out some individuals for their first half performances.

Team first-half MVP: Spencer Steer

This is a tough choice but it's hard not to go with Steer for multiple reasons. Offensively, he is the team leader in hits (90), home runs (14) and is second in RBIs (51, to Jake Fraley's 52) while batting .277 with an .844 OPS. Defensively, he's shown indispensable versatility. Steer opened the season as the regular third baseman, then switched to first base. When Joey Votto returned June 19, Steer volunteered to play left field and, despite it being a very unfamiliar position, has stepped up and played well.

Top pitcher: Alexis Díaz

Díaz is the club's lone All-Star and has been a lockdown closer for the Reds at the end of games. He saved his first 22 games of this season, and including last season, had a streak of 27 consecutive saves before finally blowing one on June 30 vs. the Padres.

Not all of the saves have been smooth, but that ultimately does not matter. Díaz, who has 2.03 ERA in 41 appearances, gets the job done consistently.

Top rookie: Elly De La Cruz

Steer is a rookie as well, but for this exercise, I'm going with De La Cruz. Certainly, Matt McLain deserves mention and it's hard not to pick him, but De La Cruz has sparked the Reds differently. Since his June 6 arrival, Cincinnati has a 23-8 record -- including a 12-game winning streak.

Overall, the 21-year-old is batting .325/.363/.524 with four homers, and his speed and ability to hit the ball so hard have created offensive opportunities like no other.

He’s already hit for the cycle and stolen home. What’s next, an inside-the-park home run? Just about anything feels possible.

Top game: June 23 vs. the Braves

This might be the top MLB game of the first half as well. In an 11-10 thriller to defeat Atlanta, De La Cruz became the first Reds player to hit for the cycle since Eric Davis on June 2, 1989. Only that could upstage the night provided by Votto, who slugged two home runs with four RBIs.

Wildest win: June 12 vs. the Royals

In a 5-4 victory in 10 innings at Kansas City, the Reds were out of available relievers and turned to rookie Ricky Karcher for a save situation in his Major League debut. Karcher threw only nine strikes in 21 pitches and ran into all sorts of danger but secured the save and the approval of his teammates.