2024 Topps Tribute League Inauguration Elly DeLa Cruz

As a Reds fan, I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about Elly De La Cruz. When he’s on his own, he can absolutely take over a game—he’s electric, a true highlight-reel type of player. But he’s also been really inconsistent… it feels like he’s either all or nothing.

It reminds me of other Reds players who came on big but never quite lived up to the hype—guys like Aristides Aquino, Billy Hamilton, or even Homer Bailey, who had all the tools but couldn’t put it together for the long haul. Sometimes that early hype turns into stardom, sometimes it fades, but it’s always part of what makes this hobby fun.

I’d love nothing more than for Elly to be the guy who carries this Reds team into a new era. The question is—can he find that consistency to make it happen?