Any Elly De La Cruz love?

[irv]

I only own a few small cards but thinking of maybe grabbing a few more?
No doubt the kid is talented and fun to watch.
https://www.tsn.ca/mlb/elly-de-la-cr...jays-1.2164622

[D. Bergin]

Still very young. Needs to cut down on the strikeouts and become a bit more disciplined at the plate or he'll have a tougher time as he gets older with that tall rangy frame of his. Make that hole in the swing a little bit smaller if possible.

Different positions, but his game reminds me a lot of another Reds player in Eric Davis. Fun and reckless and fast, and maybe just a little bit dangerous.

Hopefully he stays healthier then Davis.

[irv]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Still very young. Needs to cut down on the strikeouts and become a bit more disciplined at the plate or he'll have a tougher time as he gets older with that tall rangy frame of his. Make that hole in the swing a little bit smaller if possible.

Different positions, but his game reminds me a lot of another Reds player in Eric Davis. Fun and reckless and fast, and maybe just a little bit dangerous.

Hopefully he stays healthier then Davis.

That, for sure.
There's likely other players currently that are getting more love/attention but since he just played the Jays the other night, and it was my first time watching him this year, then getting 60 steals, I was curious how much hobby love he actually had?
He did pretty good with the Jays and kept the strikeouts to a minimum so maybe things are looking up for him in that dept?
Seems like a good kid too.

It took a little while, but shortstop Elly De La Cruz became one of the rare 20/60 players in Major League Baseball on Wednesday during an 11-7 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. "It means a lot," said De La Cruz. "I've said before that that's why I'm working the whole season. I feel so proud, so happy."

[refz]

I would like to own one as I do not have a RC of him yet. I’m not paying stupid $ and still hoping to rip one out of a pack

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by refz

I would like to own one as I do not have a RC of him yet. I’m not paying stupid $ and still hoping to rip one out of a pack

I have been convinced since around 2010 that I would not rip packs looking for anything again. At the current price of a pack of cards, I can pay up to 200 for anything I want and I am more than likely saving a ton. It’s not as fun, but it sure is more economical.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by irv

I was curious how much hobby love he actually had? [/B]

He has a huge hobby following that have run up his prices to awful heights. I collect him because I collect Reds players. I want a RC auto, but even the cheap autos are more than they should be going for.

His agent is Scott Boras. He won't sign with Cincinnati long term.

If I had to point someone in a direction, I would probably point them in the direction of the 2023 Topps Now Call Up parallels or relics. The triple base relic with a picture of him stealing home is awesome. I want that card. I think those have better potential for growth than the crazy prices for 2024 stuff. (here's an example off of ebay). 2023 Topps Now has no other competition, I think there were 17 base cards total with his image.

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[irv]

Originally Posted by todeen

He has a huge hobby following that have run up his prices to awful heights. I collect him because I collect Reds players. I want a RC auto, but even the cheap autos are more than they should be going for.

His agent is Scott Boras. He won't sign with Cincinnati long term.

If I had to point someone in a direction, I would probably point them in the direction of the 2023 Topps Now Call Up parallels or relics. The triple base relic with a picture of him stealing home is awesome. I want that card. I think those have better potential for growth than the crazy prices for 2024 stuff. (here's an example off of ebay). 2023 Topps Now has no other competition, I think there were 17 base cards total with his image. [/IMG]

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I was not aware of that but it is the reason I asked.
I remember debating back and forth with myself about those Topps Now cards, but as you can see, I regretfully didn't purchase any of the ones I came across.

Thanks for the info, Tim.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by irv

I was not aware of that but it is the reason I asked.
I remember debating back and forth with myself about those Topps Now cards, but as you can see, I regretfully didn't purchase any of the ones I came across.

Thanks for the info, Tim.

I think 2023 Topps Now have been forgotten with the new 2024 product that seems to be coming out every week. Ebay sellers have most of the 2023 Now product as Buy It Now / OBO. That's why I think it has greater potential long term. Especially the cards dealing with his Cycle he hit last year, or the relic example I gave above. If someone is looking for rookie cards in 30 years, the Now cards document his meteoric rise. With the OBO option, you might find a seller willing to move product for less than their listed price.

His 2022 Bowman 1st cards are still significant, including the parallels, but I've seen the Chrome Mega /99 being offered at $1000. That's slightly out of my price range.

He has 2022 Bowman autos that don't have the 1st symbol. Those autos are less pricy, $300 or less on a good day, but they don't have the same popularity. Another pre-rookie auto I like is this one from 2022 Inception (photo from Ebay). It's $250.



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[OhioLawyerF5]

I don't have a ton of Elly cards, but as a Reds collector, I picked up a couple I really liked. I also named one of our puppies, Elly De La Pooch. So I guess you could say I'm a fan.

Here are his 1st Bowman Blue paper, and his 1st Bowman Sapphire:



Here is my latest pickup. I just love the Home Field Advantages, and a PSA 10 is tough for these cards.



And then then pride of my Elly cards, a 1/1 sketch from 2024 Topps. This is an artist's proof I got from the artist, Juan Rosales.

[Balticfox]

So what's the Over/Under for his 2025 Stolen Base total?

[Spunker22]

Elly isn't a one hit wonder!!

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

So what's the Over/Under for his 2025 Stolen Base total?

I think he's going to have a 30 HR / 100 SB season. Coaches this year all agreed that Elly got tired mid-August, and never bounced back. Evidence is his lack of power in the final 6-7 weeks. He didn't get in base, and his steals plateaued.

As goes Elly de la Cruz, so go the Reds.

My prediction is that with Elly's continued maturation, he will have a better season at the plate, and his stats will be closing in on MVP status (top 3 MVP finish next season); he will propel the Reds to the playoffs. He scored 107 runs this season, and he should score similarly next year. But his RBI were only 76. That should get closer to 100 with an additional 6-7 weeks worth of production. The Reds will win their first playoff round since 1995, but not reach the WS.

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[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by todeen

I think he's going to have a 30 HR / 100 SB season. Coaches this year all agreed that Elly got tired mid-August, and never bounced back. Evidence is his lack of power in the final 6-7 weeks. He didn't get in base, and his steals plateaued.

I'd suggest he stop swinging for the fences so often and concentrate more on getting on base where he could then wreak havoc on the basepaths. And work on his fielding so that he becomes at least a candidate for Gold Gloves.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

I'd suggest he stop swinging for the fences so often and concentrate more on getting on base where he could then wreak havoc on the basepaths. And work on his fielding so that he becomes at least a candidate for Gold Gloves.

It's interesting, but his fielding problem is with the most basic plays. No range required. He couldn't cleanly field a routine grounder coming straight at him. I'm hoping that's easier to teach than range or backhanding the ball.

And after hiring Francona, the Reds cleaned house and fired every coach. I'm hoping Francona's aura will inspire higher quality coaches to come to Cincinnati and correct some of EDLC hitting problems.

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[todeen]

Cards that I enjoy.

The 2023 Road to Opening Day Bonus. Quite a few collectors on this site talk about natural rarity. This card is about as naturally rare as you'll find for EDLC. It has a print run of 241 (I think), with no parallels. Topps Now exploded in popularity this year, and this card might be harder to come by in the future if he reaches his potential. He is not featured in the regular base team set, he only got a card due to his hitting the cycle.

2024 Topps Heavy Lumber. Wood card. Black jerseys. Love the look and interesting design.

2024 Kahns team set SGA. If you're a Reds collector, you gotta have the Kahns set. This might be the most significant Kahns RC since 2008 Joey Votto, and may pass him by to compete against 1987 RC of Barry Larkin.

2024 Topps ASG Set. The new foil ASG look is different than any other ASG set before. It looks like the Logofractor. Great look.

2024 Topps Now Road to Opening Day black parallel /99.








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[todeen]

Taking about getting tired in August, I watched an interview with Tony Gwynn, and he had the same problem. He said he had an end of season bat that was 1-2 inches shorter than his start of the season bat. He used that to help him get through the dog days of summer. Maybe Elly should shorten up, or be like Joey Votto and choke up his grip.

Elly also trains with Juan Soto in the offseason. I hope he can continue to impart wisdom with Elly.

https://www.mlb.com/news/elly-de-la-...d-by-juan-soto

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[todeen]

Cruz needs to find a niche and live it. Like Joey Votto, who was elite at OBP, but the Reds didn't hit him as the leadoff hitter. The Reds need to tell Cruz what they want him to be.

This conversation makes me think of Ichiro. He once said that he could have hit more home runs if he wanted to (just like Ty Cobb). But his job was to get on base and lengthen an inning. I think that's partially the problem that EDLC is facing. EDLC has leadoff hitter characteristics, amazing speed that can create runs -- without other hittersmaking contact. That is a very rare trait, something Rickey possessed. But his exit velocity and raw power showcase as a 3/4/5 hitter. The Reds thought they had a leadoff hitter in TJ Friedl who got hurt early in the season. They put Jonathan India back into leadoff, and he had a great first half but then tanked the second half. With no one getting on base in front of EDLC, it reduced his power profile (only 76 RBI!). As a leadoff hitter profile, he scored more than 100 runs.

I was disappointed every time I read the box score and I saw Cruz hit a HR but only had 1 RBI. The rest of the team failed to get on base in front of Elly.



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