Reds' Elly De La Cruz Chases Historic 50-50 Season

Cincinnati's young slugger is on a quest to join Shohei Ohtani as the lone MLB players to achieve 50 home runs and stolen bases.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 2:18am by

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A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting a baseball player's batting motion or baserunning, broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric planes of vibrant colors like deep red, royal blue, and golden yellow, conceptually representing the dynamic athleticism of a player chasing a rare statistical milestone.Elly De La Cruz's explosive start has him on pace to join Shohei Ohtani as the only MLB players to achieve a historic 50-50 home run and stolen base season.San Francisco Today

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Elly De La Cruz, a two-time MLB All-Star before the age of 24, has opened the 2026 season on a torrid pace, already tallying 5 home runs and 5 stolen bases in his first 16 games. If he maintains this 50-50 home run and stolen base pace over a full 162-game season, De La Cruz would become just the second player in MLB history to accomplish the feat, joining Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

Why it matters

Despite his early-career success and potential historic season, De La Cruz continues to fly under the radar nationally. After a hobbled second half last year due to a lower-body injury, De La Cruz has regained his elite speed and power, making him one of the most dynamic young players in the game.

The details

De La Cruz's speed was on full display in a recent game when he raced 180 feet on a ground ball that initially landed about 20 feet in front of home plate, beating the throw at second base and scoring the winning run. His power has also returned, as he slammed a 3-run home run during a loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. With the Reds set to open a series against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, De La Cruz has 2 homers in his past 3 outings.

  • De La Cruz posted 5 home runs and 5 stolen bases in his opening 16 games of the 2026 season.
  • If he maintains his current 50-50 pace over 162 games, De La Cruz would become the second player in MLB history to achieve the feat, after Shohei Ohtani.

The players

Elly De La Cruz

A two-time MLB All-Star before the age of 24, De La Cruz is the young center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds who is off to a torrid start in 2026, already tallying 5 home runs and 5 stolen bases in his first 16 games.

Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star is currently the only player in MLB history to achieve a 50-home run, 50-stolen base season.

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What’s next

If De La Cruz can maintain his current 50-50 pace over the full 162-game season, he would join Ohtani as the only players in MLB history to accomplish the feat.

The takeaway

Despite his early-career success and potential historic season, Reds center fielder Elly De La Cruz continues to fly under the radar nationally. However, if he can sustain his torrid 50-50 home run and stolen base pace, he will quickly become one of the most talked-about young stars in baseball.