Elly De La Cruz, a breakout shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024, has added another accolade to his resume.
The 2004 All-Star and MLB stolen base leader won the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds’ MVP in voting by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, which was announced Wednesday.
Right-hander Nick Martinez, who tied for the team lead in wins (10) and produced a 3.10 ERA in a swingman role after a torrid finish to the season, beat out All-Star ace Hunter Greene for the Johnny Van Der Meer award as the team’s outstanding pitcher.
In his first full season in the majors, De La Cruz led the Reds in most offensive statistics, including hitting (.259), slugging percentage (.471), OPS (.809), home runs (25), triples (10), doubles (36) and games (160), in addition to his 67 steals.
Martinez, who made 16 starts and 26 relief appearances, finished 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 11 starts after returning to the rotation full-time on August 5 due to injury. His 142 1/3 innings were second only to Greene on the staff, and his ERA was second only to Greene among pitchers who threw more than 71 innings.