Elly De La Cruz was relaxing with a group of teammates in the visitors’ clubhouse at Camden Yards on Monday when news broke that he had been named the National League Player of the Week after only his 17th game in the big leagues.
“What took you so long?” one of his teammates asked.
“Yeah,” another added, “Matt did it in his first week.”The mock impatience, and comparisons to Matt McLain, his teammate and fellow rookie, underscored just how promising the Cincinnati Reds’ future — and their present — appear to be.
McLain, a 23-year-old infielder, had won the same honor as De La Cruz at the end of May after only his first full week of play.
De La Cruz, 21, arrived 22 days later, and it took him less than three weeks to be named the best player in his league — at least for a week.
Persons:
Elly De La Cruz, “ Matt, Matt McLain, McLain, De La Cruz, De La
Organizations:
Camden Yards, National League, Cincinnati Reds
Locations:
De La Cruz