Elly De La Cruz has quickly become the greatest thief in Major League Baseball — but not in the traditional sense of the word.
The 22-year-old Cincinnati dynamo has recorded 32 stolen bases in 63 games this season, meaning he’s currently on pace to have … a lot — 83 to be exact.
And of course, bettors can now dive into the action.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, De La Cruz’s Over/Under stolen base total is set at 99.5. The Over is priced at +600, while the Under is at -1000, maybe because very rarely do players steal over 100 bases.
The last player to achieve 100 or more stolen bases was former All-Star Vince Coleman — and that was all the way back in 1987.
From 1985 to 1987, Coleman had 110, 107 and 109 stolen bases, respectively.
Prior to that, Hall of Famer and all-time steals leader Rickey Henderson stole 100 bases in 1980, 130 in 1982 and 108 in 1983.
Another Hall of Famer, Lou Brock, stole 118 in 1974, former All-Star Maury Willis stole 104 in 1962, and then at the conclusion of the 1800s, a handful of guys accomplished the feat.
Again, it’s few and far in between.
Back to De La Cruz.
FOX sports MLB writer Rowan Kavner noted that it’s the Cincy star’s “distinct combination of speed and power” that’s “putting him on pace for a [potential] 100-steal, record-setting season.”
For context, in the NL last year, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. was the stolen bases leader with 73. Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz led the AL with 67 in 2023.
De La Cruz already totaled more than 30, and we’re only two months into the season.
Speaking of, the 22-year-old became the first player in his organization’s 130-plus-year history to steal 30 bases in his first 44 games.
So even if he doesn’t eclipse the century mark, his name is firmly etched into Reds’ lore.
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