The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is over. And while we won’t learn how many of the official awards turn out until after the World Series, publications have begun handing out their awards and accolades for the season. Baseball America announced their 2026 All-Star first and second teams and the only Cincinnati Reds player to make the cut was shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
The team itself is made up on one player for each position, including the designated hitter, and then includes five starting pitchers and one closer. De La Cruz was named as the top shortstop in baseball by Baseball America, earning their shortstop spot on the first team (Bobby Witt Jr. was the shortstop on the second team).
For Elly De La Cruz it was a breakout season at the plate. His improvements as a right-handed hitter took his offense in the batters box to another level. It helped him hit 30 home runs, which was a career high. After he hit his 30th home run he would go on to steal his 30th base of the season and become just the 8th shortstop to ever have a 30-30 season.
Along with a career high 30 homers he also had a career high batting average with a .283 mark, a career best .365 on-base percentage, a career best .515 slugging percentage, and of course his .880 OPS was the best of his career. His 72 walks were also a career high and he got there in far less playing time than he’s had in the previous two seasons.
Depending on how you want to look at it, the 2026 season was the best of his career as a whole. In 2024 he had a 5.2 WAR according to Baseball Reference and a 6.8 WAR according to Fangraphs. In 2026 his WAR according to Baseball Reference was 5.6, which tops 2024, but at Fangraphs it was 6.4 this season which wasn’t quite as high as where he was in 2024. The big difference from the two Fangraphs numbers came from baserunning and defense in that 2024 season when compared to this past one. Toss in a bit more playing time and there you go.
No matter how you want to look at it, though, at the plate the 24-year-old took steps forward in nearly every aspect of his game. That’s true for both his traditional stats as well as many of the underlying ones, too. His bat speed was the best of his career. His average exit velocity was easily the best of his career and he’s always been above-average. His EV50 (the exit velocity on the top 50% of his batted balls) was the top mark of his career. His chase rate was the lowest of his career. And his in-zone contact rate was the best of his career. A bunch of smaller improvements made everything quite a bit better.
Definitely took some major steps forward. His batting from the right side was vastly improved. Well deserved.
I wonder if any other Reds SS ever made 1st team postseason All-Star.
Elly should GREATLY increase his salary in 2027 arbitration process.
So, I looked up Reds SS on BBR. McMillan nope. Cardenas once (not sure if 1st team) but not as a Red. Concepcion several times in mid 1970s (but again not sure if 1st team or not). Larkin several times in 1990s but 1st team status not listed.
This is not an official award. It’s not going to be listed anywhere.
There are several different (AP, TSN, others) awards listed in BBR.
A positive for Elly was for the first time in three seasons he did not lead MLB shortstops in errors. There were actually five who had more headed by Trea Turner WITH 20. (Elly 17)
Very good improvement.
An AL shortstop quietly – at least for me – set an all-time batting record in 2026. Colson Montgomery struck out 224 times for the Chicago White Sox. This kind of hitting (missing?) performance will not get him on any postseason award lists. In 153 games, Colson struck out 3 or more times in 24 contests. He struck out in 24.8% of his major league plate appearance but has kicked that up to 33.8% in the majors.
*24.8 % in the minors*
“Along with a career high 30 homers he also had a career high batting average with a .283 mark”
Let’s more like a .330 BA in not too distant past years.
It’s amazing how much improved he was hitting right-handed this year. I did not expect that. Even if he began to start hitting on a superstar level, I don’t think I ever thought it’d be partly because he began to hit very well from the right side. I think I was thinking it’d be because he became awesome as a left handed hitter, and just kind of a little better right handed.