Elly De La Cruz

At just 24 years old, De La Cruz remains one of baseball's most dynamic athletes with elite speed potential—evidenced by his 37 steals in 2025 and league-leading 67 the year prior—but last season raised legitimate concerns about his consistency and approach. His power collapsed in a brutal 74-game stretch from late June through mid-September when he hit just one homer, and his second-half numbers deteriorated significantly (.666 OPS, 28.2 K%) despite earlier improvements to his strikeout rate. Playing in Cincinnati's hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, De La Cruz offers a rare blend of speed and power upside, but fantasy managers entering 2026 face a critical question: will he recalibrate at the plate and harness his incredible athleticism, or do his recent struggles signal deeper mechanical or mental issues? His ceiling remains among the game's highest as a young All-Star, but the recent volatility makes him a calculated risk rather than a safe source of consistent production across all offensive categories.