Elly De La Cruz can't run away from Adam Dunn comps during breakout season

Some Reds fans aren't going to want to hear this, but it has to be said. Elly De La Cruz strikes out far too often. Yes, yes, we've all seen a number of called strikes that are outside the zone, and De La Cruz seems to have been the recipient of many unfair judgments on the part of umpires, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

But even if you subtract those instances, De La Cruz would likely still be on track to set an incredibly inauspicious mark. On Thursday, De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals and surpassed Adam Dunn's 196 strikeout-mark that he set during the 2004 season. Dunn also struck out 195 times in 2006.

Heading into play on Friday, De La Cruz is just nine whiffs shy of Drew Stubbs' all-time record of 205 strikeouts in a season. Stubbs set that unfortunate record while playing in 158 games back in 2011. The Cincinnati Reds still have 14 games left in the season, and unless De La Cruz turns around his current trend, he'll be the new record holder in a category that no one wants to bear.

Elly De La Cruz can't run away from Adam Dunn comps during breakout season

Now let's not get all hysterical and claim that De La Cruz will never be a great hitter or any of that nonsense. What De La Cruz has done during his first full season in Major League Baseball is quite remarkable. Despite his flaws, both in the batters' box and on the field, De La Cruz earned a trip to the All-Star Game and leads the Reds in fWAR (6.3) by a wide margin. De La Cruz is a superstar talent.

But the strikeouts and the errors are a concern. De La Cruz leads MLB in both categories. Again, it must be understood that De La Cruz is just 22 years old and has fewer than 250 major league games under his belt. De La Cruz has also improved at the dish in some ways, and owns a respectable 10.4% walk-rate on the season.

De La Cruz has some obvious areas of his game to work on this offseason, and after watching the transformation he made from 2023 to 2024, it's a good bet that Reds fans will see a number of small adjustments next season. De La Cruz has the potential to be the best player in MLB, but cutting down on those strikeouts needs to be atop his to do list this winter if her wishes to attain that status.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors