Reds prospect HR surpasses Andy Dalton's passing yards in final Bengals playoff game

In case you haven't heard, Elly De La Cruz is one of the hottest young prospects in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. The 20-year-old was recently promoted from High-A Dayton to Double-A Chattanooga.

The bump up in competition has not slowed De La Cruz's progress. In fact, he's already dismantling the competition at Double-A. In his first five games, De La Cruz has two multi-hit games, scored three runs, and swiped three bags.

But last night, Cincinnati's top infield prospect absolutely destroyed a 2-0 pitch in the bottom of the first inning. According to the Chattanooga Lookouts Twitter account, the ball travelled 512-feet and flew out of AT&T Field.

That is a mammoth blast that you'd expect to see from the likes of Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, and Fernando Tatis Jr. In fact, the 512-foot blast, that equates to almost 171 yards, is further than total amount of passing yards former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton amassed in his last playoff appearance.

Reds prospect HR surpasses Andy Dalton's passing yards in final Bengals playoff game.

Elly De La Cruz looks like the real deal, folks. We've heard that before when it comes to the likes of other young prospects, but De La Cruz's ascension to the top of the Reds' farm system feels different.

After 73 games at High-A saw De La Cruz post a wRC+ of 160 according to FanGraphs, the Reds decided to promote the 20-year-old to Double-A after the All-Star break. The infielder is now paired with last year's first-round pick and fellow shortstop Matt McLain.

Both De La Cruz and McLain are expected to share duties at shortstop, but McLain is starting to get some work at second base as well. De La Cruz has started five of his six games at shortstop and also acted as the Lookouts DH. De La Cruz also has experience at third base.

On January 4, 2014, Andy Dalton marched the Cincinnati Bengals into Lucas Oil Stadium with hopes of ending the team's horrendous playoff drought. Instead, Dalton mustered just 155 yards on 18-of-35 (51.4%) passing and didn't log a touchdown.

That 155-yard performance might reach the short-porch in Yankees Stadium, but it's not topping Elly De La Cruz's blast from Thursday. Of course that's a joke. Dalton's 155 yards of passing equals 465-feet which is more than enough to clear the fences at any major league ballpark.

Thankfully for Bengals fans Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins helped end the organization's postseason futility. Zac Taylor's group looks poised to pursue the Lombardi Trophy this season. Unfortunately, Reds Country might have to wait a few more years to see their team win its first playoff series since 1995.