Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is the real deal. The rookie has made a huge impact on the Reds ever since he barged into the big leagues last June. When he made his debut in Major League Baseball, Cincinnati was at just 28-33. FanGraphs also gave the Reds just a 19.7 percent chance to make the MLB postseason.

Well, a lot has happened since, as the Reds have flipped the script and taken the majors by storm, in part because of the exceptional play of Elly De La Cruz. With De La Cruz injecting so much life into the arm of the Reds, the team reached the All-Star break with 50 wins and atop the table in the National League Central division.

At the end of the first half of the 2023 MLB regular season, Elly De La Cruz and the Reds have their playoff chances improve to 33.9 percent, per FanGraphs.

Elly De La Cruz has the makings of a future superstar in the MLB. He is talented and electric. Through his first 30 games in the majors, he has slashed .325/.363/.524 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He is also tied for the most stolen bases on the team with 16 despite playing in much fewer games.

The second half of the season will be another challenge for De La Cruz and the Reds, but based on what fans have seen so far from him, it's not hard to expect even more highlights from the Dominican, who hit .368 and stole seven bases in nine games in July thus far.