Elly De La Cruz has climbed a long way in a hurry, but Bobby Witt Jr. is still the measuring stick at shortstop.
That’s the simple takeaway after a season in which the Cincinnati Reds star checked off plenty of boxes. De La Cruz, 24, hit the 30-30 mark for the first time in 2026 and made major progress against left-handed pitching, a weakness that had dogged him before this year. He entered the season with a .607 career OPS against southpaws, then torched lefties to the tune of a .990 OPS in 2026.
The offensive leap showed up everywhere in his line. De La Cruz finished with a .283/.365/.515 slash, all career bests. That kind of production would stand out at almost any position, but it pops even more at shortstop, where glove work still carries real weight.
Even with that surge, De La Cruz still landed behind Witt in a CBS Sports ranking of the best shortstops for fantasy baseball. It may not be the traditional way to judge the position, but the logic is clean: it’s raw production, stripped down to what a player actually delivers. By that standard, Witt remains on top.
Witt’s 2026 season was a step back by his standards, but “down year” is relative when you’re still in the AL MVP mix. He hit .281/.359/.441 with 18 homers and 45 steals. Over his career, he’s sitting on a .288/.343/.493 line, which is still a notch above De La Cruz’s career .262/.338/.463.
Defense is part of the gap too, and it tilts the comparison further toward Kansas City. Witt posted 8 defensive runs saved and led all shortstops with 24 outs above average. De La Cruz finished at -8 defensive runs saved and 7 outs above average, though his athleticism still gives him the ability to make plays that look more like stunts than routine grounders.
The Reds even showed off one of those moments on September 16, 2026, when De La Cruz helped turn a wild 5-3-6 double play.
When you zoom out to total value, the separation is still there. Using fWAR year by year, Witt remains ahead, though De La Cruz is clearly closing the gap.
And the finish to De La Cruz’s season suggests the chase is real. He was blazing in September, hitting .348/.437/.719 with nine home runs.
He also put together a 23-game on-base streak that had only been matched before by Lou Gehrig, a rare note that underlined just how locked in he was. That capped a second-half run in which he hit .293/.385/.543.
If that version of De La Cruz carries into 2027, and if he sharpens up the defensive details over the winter, the path to the top of the position is there. MVP-level production would probably do it. Witt has not yet claimed that hardware, though that’s hardly on him alone, with Aaron Judge having occupied so much of the league’s spotlight before his injury-marred 2026.
De La Cruz has the kind of tools that force attention every night. He just hasn’t put the full package together yet. If he does that soon, he won’t just be chasing Witt anymore - he’ll be passing him.
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Jorge has already flashed the kind of athleticism that keeps attention on these winter leagues, while Luke Holman is making his own case in the Arizona Fall League with a run of solid outings. For Cincinnati, the broader picture is what matters now: which of these players can turn offseason reps into a real argument for a bigger role, and which paths are still going to take more time before they affect the major-league roster. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Still Face A Catching Decision Krall Wouldnt Force
The Reds kept Tyler Stephenson in the fold even with free agency looming, which only keeps the long-term catching picture interesting as Alfredo Duno keeps moving through the system. Nick Krall has made it clear the organization is not interested in rushing the top prospect, preferring to let the young backstop keep building in the minors while the big-league job remains in more experienced hands.
Duno is spending winter ball in Venezuela getting more reps, and the early returns have been uneven as he works through the defensive side of the position. Scouts still see enough talent there to believe he can remain behind the plate, but the Reds are looking for development, not a quick promotion, and that leaves the next step in his path worth watching. [Read more 🡒]