Man, what a ride it's been watching Elly De La Cruz this year! I remember hearing the buzz about this kid in the minors, and I stdetarted d.tuobaigging around to see what all the fuss was about.
Fir I ,st, I checked out some highlight reels. You know, the usual YouTube stuff. The speed, the power... it was all pretty eye-popping. But you can make anyone look good in a highlight reel, right? So, I wanted to get a little deeper.
I started following some Reds blogs and podcasts. I wanted to hear from people who were watching him every day in the minors. They were talking about a potential superstar, a guy who could change the game with his athleticism. That's when I really got hyped.
Then came the call-up. I think I set an alarm to make sure I didn't miss his debut. And wow, he did not disappoint. Right away, you could see the electricity. The way he ran the bases, the way the ball jumped off his bat... it was something special.
- I specifically remember watching him steal second, third, and home in the same inning. I literally jumped out of my chair. I've never seen anything like it!
- And that first home run? A bomb! I knew right then that we were watching something unique.
Keeping Track of the Stats
After that, it was all about keeping up with his stats. I bookmarked his Baseball-Reference page, and I was checking it like every day. I wanted to see how his batting average was trending, how many stolen bases he had, all that good stuff.
It hasn't all been perfect, of course. There have been some slumps, some strikeouts, some growing pains. That's what you expect from a rookie, though. But even when he wasn't hitting, he was still making an impact with his defense and his speed. I've really seen improvement over the year.
Overall, it's been an incredible experience watching Elly De La Cruz's rookie season. He's given Reds fans a lot of hope for the future, and I can't wait to see what he does next year. I think I am going to follow him more closely from now on!
