TORONTO — When shortstop Elly De La Cruz debuted as an electric, five-tool phenom for the Reds in 2023, many observers wondered if a 30/30 season might be just the beginning of what he could accomplish.
It happened Friday during a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Building momentum all month — especially this week — De La Cruz's blend of power and speed culminated with his first season of reaching 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.
"It's really special. That means a great season," De La Cruz said. "I know as a group, this season didn't go the way we wanted to, but it's a great season individually."
With one steal needed Friday for a 30/30 season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that if De La Cruz reached base, he would not stand still for long.
Sure enough, in the top of the third inning after hitting a two-run double to put Cincinnati ahead, De La Cruz bolted for third base on José Soriano's first pitch to the next batter, Sal Stewart.
"Just take it," thought De La Cruz.
With a headfirst slide, De La Cruz beat the throw from catcher Alejandro Kirk.
"You heard the dugout go crazy when he got that 30th stolen base," assistant bench coach Mike Napoli said. "His teammates love him. He loves his teammates, and he goes out there and plays the game the right way. It was pretty nice to see.”
De La Cruz, 24, became the fourth player in Reds franchise history to hit 30 home runs with 30 stolen bases in a single season. The previous three were Brandon Phillips in 2007, Barry Larkin in 1996 and Eric Davis in 1987. All three players are members of the Reds Hall of Fame, with Larkin also inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"Those are great guys," De La Cruz said. "They played hard. They played the game the right way. So it's really good."
It was the 82nd time that a player has put together a 30/30 season, with three of them coming this season. De La Cruz joined Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and the Nationals' CJ Abrams.
In his first full season, 2024, De La Cruz hit 25 homers with a Major League-leading 67 steals while playing 160 games. With then-manager David Bell instilling an aggressive approach on the bases for the entire club, De La Cruz was enabled to run at will.
In 2025 under Francona, the Reds didn't run anywhere near as much. And while De La Cruz played all 162 games, he was hampered by a left quadriceps strain in the second half. He finished the year with 22 homers and 37 stolen bases.
In the offseason, the switch-hitting De La Cruz focused on improving as a right-handed hitter, and it paid dividends in 2026. He raised his OPS against left-handed pitching by nearly 400 points from .618 to 1.002.
No longer as prone to wildly streaky offensive stretches, De La Cruz put together the most consistent season of his big league career. But this month, he showed he could still have explosive breakout periods.
In September, De La Cruz has hit nine home runs — including a stretch of five straight games with a long ball from Sept. 5-9. He leads the Majors this month in average (.377) and slugging (.778) and is second behind Pete Alonso in homers.
On Tuesday against the Braves, De La Cruz hit his 29th home run and notched steal No. 29. On Thursday, he slugged his 30th homer against Atlanta.
“It’s like it’s easy. I don’t want to say you expect it, but you do," said Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, who pitched five-plus innings in a no-decision. "It almost seems like it’s that easy for the guy. He didn’t even play a full year. An incredible talent, a great teammate. Just happy for him.”
For the season, De La Cruz is batting .285/.367/.521 with 79 RBIs. He was limited to 141 games because he missed three weeks in June with a right hamstring strain. Had that not happened, there was a legitimate chance at joining Crow-Armstrong this season in the 40/40 club.
That certainly seems more than possible next year, especially if 30/30 is just the starting point it's long felt like.
“He's still really young," 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.”