Cincinnati Reds top prospect and MLB phenom Elly De La Cruz has impressed since making his MLB debut. In addition to his strong hitting skills, De La Cruz offers tremendous speed… and he knows it. He recently made a bold comment in regards to his running ability that will surely catch Usain Bolt's attention, per The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans.

“I am the fastest man in the world,” De La Cruz said.

That is obviously quite the statement from De La Cruz. In all fairness, he is already regarded as one of, it not the fastest runner in MLB.

Elly De La Cruz has done more than just intimidate opponents with his speed though. Even Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted that it is “very scary” to manage against him.

Through four games with the Reds, De La Cruz is slashing .333/.412/.733 with a 1.145 OPS. He's also already homered once and stole a base. De La Cruz is truly an electrifying young talent and has a chance to become a true MLB superstar.

He's also a major part of the Reds' rebuild, a rebuild that wasn't expected to produce playoff-like results for a couple more years. However, given the current lackluster state of the NL Central, Cincinnati may be able to compete sooner than expected.

As of this story's publication, they hold a record of just 30-35. But that is good for third in the division, and they are only four games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates. Perhaps Elly De La Cruz can help them shock the MLB world and reach the postseason in 2023.