It’s there because it reminds him of growing up in the Dominican Republic and how all he ever wanted was a baseball jersey.
It reminds him of when his mother, Carmin, told him that no matter how far his baseball career goes, she’d always be proud of him.
“I just want to give everything to her,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Julio Morillo. “She’s why I’m here, and I want her to feel proud of me.”
To make it this far – earning a call-up to MLB and becoming the centerpiece of the Reds’ rebuild – De La Cruz had to move away from his family’s home when he was 6.
To have a better shot at turning into an MLB shortstop, he went to stay with his coach’s brother on the northeast side of the Dominican Republic to reach the next best tournament and the next best training facility.
Now, De La Cruz, 21, is a unique player with as much potential as anyone in baseball. He’s a 6-foot-5, switch-hitting shortstop with a better combination of power and speed than almost anyone in the sport.
“This is an opportunity that I’ve earned,” De La Cruz said. “My goal is everywhere that I go, I want people to know how good I am. That’s all I have in my mind. Every league that I go to, I want to be the best player that the team has.”
Elly De La Cruz was taking batting practice at the Cincinnati Reds’ spring training complex. With every home run swing, the pendant with his mother’s photo twirled around his neck as he powered 400-foot line drives over the fence in center field.
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