5 Reds minor league predictions for the 2022 season

5. Reds shortstop prospect Elly De La Cruz takes a step back.

Elly De La Cruz was the most talked about Cincinnati Reds prospect last season. Signed out of the Dominican Republic for just $65,000 in 2018, De La Cruz burst onto the scene with his ridiculous stat line while playing 11 games in Rookie Ball.

In 50 at-bats, De La Cruz slashed .400/.455/.780 with 11 extra base hits and 13 RBIs. De La Cruz was quickly moved up to Low-A Daytona where the right-handed hitting infielder cooled a little, hitting .269/.305/.477 in 50 games with the Tortugas.

The Reds player development team believe that Elly De La Cruz is a five-tool talent, and I have to agree with their assessment. However, given his age (20 years old), I think De La Cruz is still several years away from seeing that potential through.

De La Cruz is bound to find a bump in the road, and I believe that will be this coming season. Tthe youngster spent time at both shortstop and third base last season. De La Cruz has yet to fill out his 6-foo-2 frame, and may eventually profile as a third baseman instead of a shortstop.

Reds Country should be excited about Elly De La Cruz. He went from relative obscurity to one of the top prospects in the Reds farm system. I think we'll see continued development from De La Cruz in 2022, but I don't expect the same type of leap we saw last last season.