Reds prospects Allan Cerda and Elly De La Cruz form a power-packed 1-2 punch

Top prospects Elly De La Cruz and Allan Cerda are giving Reds fans hope for the future. While this season may not be working out as the Cincinnati faithful had hoped, De La Cruz and Cerda will eventually have Reds fans flocking back to Great American Ball Park.

De La Cruz's rise to prominence has been well-documented. The 20-year-old shortstop prospect is wrecking havoc on opposing pitcher in High-A with a .945 OPS and 12 round trippers in 207 at-bats for the Dayton Dragons this season.

Cerda has been equally impressive. The 22-year-old has a .529 slugging percentage, and with his two-home run game on Thursday, Cerda now has 12 bombs on the season through 53 games at High-A Dayton.

Elly De La Cruz and Allan Cerda are the future of the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds were fortunate enough to have two top rookies on last year's team. Both Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson showed what they were made of in 2021. While injuries have slowed their progress in 2022, the future for these two looks like it will include multiple trips to the Midsummer Classic.

This season, it's been the pitching. Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft have both shown why the Reds have such high hopes for the two right-handers. Nick Lodolo should be back very soon, and fans are hopeful to see similar success from the left-hander.

Jose Barrero remains a work in progress, but the Reds are hopeful to see him have success in the big leagues this season as well. Wrist surgery took Barrero out of action for nearly two months, and the 24-year-old is playing catch-up down at Triple-A Louisville.

But the next wave of potential franchise-altering players are currently at High-A Dayton. The switch-hitting Elly De La Cruz and the right-handed bat of Allan Cerda have the look of a fantastic 1-2 punch that could slot right in the middle of the Cincinnati Reds batting order.

Add to that some complimentary pieces like top infield Matt McLain and the power bats of Rece Hinds and Austin Hendrick, and the Cincinnati Reds look like a real threat to rule the NL Central in the coming years. The young talent in the Reds farm system is scary-good.

I know it seems bleak right now, Reds Country. But help is on the way. If Elly De La Cruz and Allan Cerda continue to assault minor league pitching the way they have this season, then it won't be long until they find their way to Great American Ball Park