Top prospect De La Cruz goes 458 feet for 1st HR
CINCINNATI — Reds newcomer Elly De La Cruz hit his first major league homer with a 458-foot, two-run drive off the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Noah Syndergaard and later tripled Wednesday night in an 8-6 win.
With fellow rookie Matt McLain on second base in the first inning, De La Cruz, a 21-year-old switch-hitter, smashed an 0-1 fastball that left the bat at 114.8 mph and landed in the last rows of the right-field stands at Great American Ball Park.
A day after making his big league debut, De La Cruz, who was named baseball’s top prospect by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel in his updated rankings last month, had the second-hardest-hit home run by a player 21 or younger since Statcast started tracking in 2015. A homer by the Toronto Blue Jays‘ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Aug. 21, 2020, had an exit velocity of 115.9 mph.
De La Cruz, who finished 2-for-4, tripled on a curveball in the third, a drive that went to the wall in right-center on four hops
He reached third in 10.83 seconds, the fastest time in the major leagues this season, according to Statcast. It was the second fastest since the start of the 2020 season, behind 10.75 seconds for the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Corbin Carroll last Oct. 3.
De La Cruz was 1-for-3 with two walks in his debut Tuesday night. Wednesday night’s home run came in his sixth plate appearance.
The Dominican Republic shortstop hit .298 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 38 games for Triple-A Louisville this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Ole Miss standout receiver Tre Harris aggravated an injury in the first half at Florida on Saturday and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, a 24-17 Gators win.
Harris initially injured his hip/groin area against LSU on Oct. 12. He returned against Florida, only to go down after a catch late in the second quarter.
During the broadcast, ABC’s Molly McGrath reported it was an aggravation of the original injury.
Harris was seen in street clothes on the sideline to start the second half. He had one catch for 43 yards and a touchdown before exiting.
Harris came into the game as one of the top receivers in the nation, leading the No. 9 Rebels with 987 yards and six touchdowns.
LOS ANGELES — Chris Woodward has been named first-base coach by the Dodgers, marking his second stint on manager Dave Roberts’ staff.
The Dodgers made the announcement Friday night. Woodward was the Dodgers’ first-base coach from 2016 to 2018 before leaving to take over as manager of the Texas Rangers.
Woodward fills the opening created after former first-base coach Clayton McCullough recently became manager of the Miami Marlins.
Woodward had a 211-287 record in nearly four seasons with the Rangers. He has been a senior adviser on the Dodgers’ major league and player development staff for the past two seasons.
Dodgers executive vice president and general manager Brandon Gomes said Woodward will take over baserunning and infield responsibilities with third-base coach Dino Ebel shifting to outfield duties.
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