I’m a Cincinnati kid. And OMG, has it been an exciting summer here with our Cincinnati Reds! There’s so much going on with the team that makes me think of the athletes we work with. At the top of that list is Elly De La Cruz.

Three months ago, hardly anyone knew who he was.

Why would they? He was a young athlete from a small town in the Dominican Republic who’d been overlooked time and again.

But he was committed. He trained away from his family for most of his childhood and eventually made it into a top baseball academy in the DR. And yet, he was left behind as many of his teammates were drafted. Elly almost gave up.

One day a scout from the Reds organization was visiting and Elly was told to go play with the young man they were there to see - to make the other guy look good. The next day, the Reds signed Elly.

That was in 2018.

Even then, Elly’s path was not what he dreamed it would be. He languished in the lower levels of the minor leagues for years. He thought about going home. Then in 2021, he had a stellar performance at the Reds post-draft camp. He got to play low-A ball, then high-A, then AA and eventually AAA for the Louisville Bats where he started this season. He hit 11 homers and stool 12 bases. And he got the call.

Elly’s time with the Reds has been nothing short of magical.

He’s on nearly every ESPN highlight reel. He hits the crap out of the ball and throws the crap out of the ball. He recently stole 3 bases in the course of two pitches just weeks after hitting a cycle. Everyone in MLB and certainly everyone in Cincinnati is talking about him.

Your path is not always going to look like you think it should. Sometimes it will suck. It most definitely won’t be a straight line.

AND…

You’ll be better because of it. If it can happen for Elly, it can happen for anyone.

Here’s to staying the course (with all its bumps in the road),
Lauren

BTW: Go here to watch De La Cruz steal second, third AND home in just two pitches.