These brutal Oneil Cruz stats might’ve just ended the Elly De La Cruz outfield debate

Elly De La Cruz led the league in errors (29) a year ago and is tied for the league-lead (7) in that category again this season. That has led numerous Cincinnati Reds fans to push the idea of moving De La Cruz off shortstop and into the outfield. But one of Reds' division rivals provides a glaring example of why that's a horrible idea.

De La Cruz and Pittsburgh Pirates' phenom Oneil Cruz have a lot in common. Both players are blazing fast and have cannons for arms. The duo came up to the big leagues around the same time, play for rival teams, and their raw tools are eerily similar. Both were also said to be "too tall" to play shortstop. De La Cruz is listed at 6-foot-5 and Cruz stands 6-foot-7. While some players have broken the mold over the years — Cal Ripken Jr. was 6-foot-4 — most shortstops are not that big.

De La Cruz's enormous size coupled with his tantalizing tools (and multiple errors) has continually caused a number of Reds fans to advocate for Cincinnati to follow Pittsburgh's example and move their star shortstop to center field. While their motivation is understandable, the numbers just don't add up.

This brutal Oneil Cruz stat should end the Elly De La Cruz to the Reds' outfield debate

There are numerous metrics used to evaluate a player's defense. Old-school fans love errors and fielding percentage, and while those may be antiquated, they're not irrelevant. Newer metrics like defensive runs saved (DRS) and outs above average (OAA) have become the gold standard for the analytics crowd.

De La Cruz has committed seven errors, but Cruz — who was moved from shortstop to center field late last season — has committed four of his own in the Pirates' outfield. That's tied for the league-lead among outfielders with the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell. The advanced metrics are even worse. Cruz's -9 DRS is the worst among all players in Major League Baseball. His -1 OAA isn't great, but there are more than dozen outfielders who grade out even worse. Elly is currently worth 1 DRS and -3 OAA.

The notion that speed and arm strength, both of which Cruz has in spades — he ranks in the 86th percentile in sprint speed and 100th percentile in arm strength — translates into a successful outfielder is extremely flawed. Though there are certainly other examples of talented shortstops who transitioned to the outfield, Cruz is just another example of one who hasn't.

De La Cruz needs to improve defensively — no one is arguing that. But to just automatically assume that his raw talent will allow him to become an elite defender in the outfield is purely nonsensical. It's high-time Reds fans accept the fact that De La Cruz will be the team's shortstop for this season, and likely well into the future.

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