Reds' Elly De La Cruz Studies Warriors' Stephen Curry, 'I Play Different, Too'

Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz finds inspiration for his game from various places, including Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry.

In an interview with Charlie Goldsmith of Cincinnati Magazine, De La Cruz explained he studies the way Curry plays basketball because it looks different from the way almost everyone else plays the game.

"Steph changed the game," says De La Cruz. "I play different, too."

Even though De La Cruz acknowledged he has never met Curry, the one thing he has taken away from watching him is to trust your ability.

De La Cruz has become one of the brightest young stars in MLB by playing in a way that stands out. The first thing that separates him from many people is being a 6'5" shortstop.

When De La Cruz was coming up through the minors, The Athletic's Keith Law noted no one listed at 6'5" or taller has ever regularly played shortstop at the MLB level and only seven players played it at any point in their careers.

De La Cruz also has one of the best combinations of speed and power in MLB. The 23-year-old led the league with 67 stolen bases last season. He's slugging a career-high .486 so far in 2025 with 19 homers in 111 games.

Per Baseball Savant, De La Cruz ranks in the 90th percentile or better in arm strength, sprint speed and baserunning value. His bat speed is in the 84th percentile.

De La Cruz's ascent to stardom has coincided with the Reds emerging as a playoff contender this season. They enter play on Saturday just 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final wild card spot in the NL.