Elly De La Cruz has become the blueprint for one Reds prospect chasing stardom

When he's on, Elly De La Cruz is one of the most electric players in all of baseball. Now imagine if the Cincinnati Reds could clone him. If infield prospect Leo Balcazar has his way, that just might happen.

The 21-year-old has been tearing up the Arizona Fall League, leading the way with 26 hits just past the midway point of the autumn showcase. All the while, he's been thinking about De La Cruz, his idol. The two crossed paths in the Cactus League when the then-17-year-old prospect from Venezuela made his stateside debut. Since then, De La Cruz has been a role model for Balcazar.

Speaking to MLB.com's Jesse Borek, Balcazar had the following the say about his experience with De La Cruz, "I really loved it. To see how he’s playing right now in the big leagues, one of the best players in the world, I want to be like him. I want to play with him [in the Majors].”

Reds prospect Leo Balcazar dreams of playing alongside Elly De La Cruz

In the Reds' system, Balcazar is easily overlooked. The club's No. 23 prospect is behind a number of talented young shortstops, like Tyson Lewis, Steele Hall, and Edwin Arroyo, among others. Though if he finishes up the second half of the AFL season the same way he started, he might not be overlooked for long.

After a strong showings in the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona Complex League, Balcazar saw his 2023 campaign limited to just 18 games at Single-A Daytona thanks to a knee injury. Despite the missed time, he was productive, posting an .897 OPS.

In 2024, Balcazar got the call to High-A Dayton, but with that, his bat cooled. His walk rate plummeted to 3.4% while he slashed just .264/.295/.354. Undeterred, Balcazar got a second crack at High-A to start this year, and his walk rate rebounded while his strikeout rate was shaved down to 14.9% after hovering in the 24%-range his entire professional career to that point.

He was then promoted to Double-A Chattanooga for his final 51 games. He cut his strikeouts further while raising his walks to the point that he nearly achieved a 1:1 ratio; however, his power disappeared with just a .328 slugging percentage.

As a Rule 5 Draft eligible player, the Reds will have a crucial decision with him this offseason. Do they add him to the 40-man roster and protect him from the draft, or do they chance it and hope that the fact that he's still a bit raw will spare him from poaching?

As far as De La Cruz, Balcazar isn't quite as dynamic, but he's looking to be a solid contact bat with some more-than-decent plate discipline. How he finishes the AFL will determine how much his stock jumps, but the arrow is clearly trending up, putting him one step closer down the path to playing with his idol.