Why it's time to bet Elly De La Cruz to win NL Rookie of the Year now

The time is almost here for Cincinnati Reds fans.

Elly De La Cruz, a few days after being announced as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by ESPN, is nearing his call up date to the big leagues. The shortstop has taken off in Triple-A this season and is putting up monster numbers, headlined by a walk-off homer on Tuesday night.

As De La Cruz continues to rake in the minors, bettors are taking notice in anticipation of him getting called up and making waves quickly. Despite not playing at this level yet, the shortstop is down to +1800 to win the award after being as high as +5000 earlier this month.

2023 National League Rookie of the Year odds

Players like Corbin Carroll and James Outman have been with the respective big league club all season, but the prospect of a player as exciting as De La Cruz has put him within striking distance of the top of the board.

While the favorites are littered with talented prospects -- Carroll is hitting .276 while Outman has 10 home runs and Francisco Alvarez has nine -- it's not an insurmountable gap to make up. For example, last year's National League winner, Michael Harris II, played in 114 games, so De La Cruz is slightly off that pace. If he played every game including Wednesday, he'd play in 109 games this season.

It's only a matter of time before the shortstop gets called up and gets the opportunity to take the league by storm. Upon hitting the majors, De La Cruz's number will be slashed in half if not more based around the hype. Now is the time to get on board.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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