WATCH: Elly De La Cruz teases custom mitts for 'fastest man alive,' dropping on November 15
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is coming off a career-best season with the franchise. One of the fastest players in the MLB, De La Cruz will be commemorated by a custom mitt from 'Absolutely Ridiculous.'
In a post shared by Absolutely Ridiculous' Instagram handle, the Reds star was seen with the custom mitt. Although the equipment was blurred as it will be unveiled on Friday, Nov. 15, the strap has "Fastest Man Alive," written on it.
Elly De La Cruz was seen trying out the mitt in the video shared in the post and was seemingly impressed by the fit. The custom mitt will be available at AbsolutelyRidiculous.com.
Elly De La Cruz earned a call-up for the 2024 All-Star game, the first All-Star game of his career. Although the Reds did not make it to the postseason, the All-Star shortstop finished with a career-high 25 home runs, compared to 13 last season.
Despite being just in his second season in the MLB, the 22-year-old established himself as a potent runner between the bases. He led the MLB with 67 stolen bases this season with Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in second with 59 steals.
Elly De La Cruz makes bold claim against Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles
According to Statcast, Elly De La Cruz had the third-fastest sprint speed in the 2024 season. His speed of 30 ft/sec was bested by the Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas (30.1ft/sec) and Kansas City Royals AL Rookie of the Year contender Bobby Witt Jr. (30.5 ft/sec).
The Reds infielder took a sly jab at a video of Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles. The outspoken Olympian raced renowned YouTube streamer IShowSpeed and came out on top.
However, De La Cruz claimed he could beat them both by quote tweeting the video.
"They think they're fast! I'll beat them for sure," De La Cruz tweeted.
While the Reds shortstop has shown remarkable sprint speeds between the bases in his short MLB career, it'll be interesting to see how he fares against the fastest man in the world on a track.