Baseball is so fascinating that it gave us two potentially generational talents in consecutive years.
Last year, it was Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Oneil Cruz as the one who graduated and showed the best of his talent.
This year, the Cincinnati Reds presented us with baseball’s latest gift: Elly De La Cruz.
Not only are their last names are very, very similar, but so are their skillsets.
Both of them are lanky, generate absurd exit velocities, run extremely fast, and have an otherworldly throwing arm.
It’s the last tool that De La Cruz showcased over the weekend.
He broke the record for the fastest infield assist in the Statcast era (since 2015).
Do you want to know who held the record before him?
Yep, Cruz.
Elly De La Cruz continues to make history in his young career.
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/H4u7qiw4KT
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) July 17, 2023
If you want to watch the throw, take a look:
#EllyDeLaCruz acaba de registrar el disparo más rápido dentro del cuadro en la era Statcast (2015). #MLB #Reds
Elly De La Cruz: 97.9 mph
Oneil Cruz: 97.8 mph
Fernando Tatis Jr.: 97,3 mph
Fernando Tatis Jr.: 96,8 mph
Oneil Cruz: 96,7 mph pic.twitter.com/Pd2dmPQqlx— Juan Jose Rodriguez (@JuanJoseRodRD) July 16, 2023
Boy, that throw reached first base in a hurry.
Perhaps even more impressive than the sheer strength of the throw was its accuracy at that speed.
It was a strike to first base from third, the position De La Cruz has been playing.
De La Cruz not only contributes on the field, but also at the plate: as of Monday afternoon, he is slashing .297/.333/.478 with four homers and 16 stolen bases in just 33 games.
While Cruz recovers from a fractured fibula, we get to enjoy De La Cruz.
When Cruz returns to the Pirates lineup sometime next month, we will have two of baseball’s young stars competing for these records and also in the standings, trying to get their teams into the postseason.
What a time to be alive, and what a time to be a baseball fan.
NEXT: MLB Analyst Highlights The Power Of Latest Reds Call-Up
