The Cincinnati Reds made the playoffs in 2025, but with less help than they would've wanted from their presumed best player.
Elly De La Cruz had a major midseason slump, not hitting a home run for more than a month.
De La Cruz had been expected for big things. Before the season, ESPN had predicted De La Cruz to hit 30 homers, steal 80 bases and finish in the top-five of the NL MVP voting.
That didn't happen, and ESPN gave itself a 'D' grade for that prediction.
"Well, that was a letdown," writes ESPN's David Schoenfield. "After hitting 25 home runs and stealing 67 bases in 2024 in his age-22 season, De La Cruz fell off to 22 home runs and 37 stolen bases, despite playing all 162 games. Most shockingly, he fell into a horrific power slump, homering just once in a 74-game span from late June through early September."
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This has also raised the question of what to make of Elly's future.
The Reds have to believe in him. He can still be the face of the franchise.
But things will also have to turn around in some regards to make that happen.
" What happened here? After his 5.2-WAR season in 2024, De La Cruz seemed ready for even bigger things. Instead, he regressed," Schoenfield writes. "Of interest: Perhaps looking to cut down on his strikeouts (which he did), De La Cruz's bat speed declined from the left side and his swing length shortened. But it didn't lead to better results."
The Reds can be a playoff team again in 2026.
To have upside of more than a first-round exit, Cincinnati will need the best version of De La Cruz to show up.
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