Witt vs. Elly: Battle of the superstar shortstops in Cincy

Baseball is rife with exciting young talent these days. Two prime examples of that will face off this weekend in Cincinnati.

Bobby Witt Jr. has put together an MVP-caliber season for the Royals in just his third year in the Majors. His counterpart at shortstop on the Reds, Elly De La Cruz, is the self-proclaimed “fastest man alive” and one of the sport’s most electrifying players.

They’re different players, of course, but what they have in common is being two of the best all-around players in baseball while playing a premium position at short.

Let’s get ready for Bobby vs Elly, the battle of stud shortstops. (Note: All rankings are entering Thursday.)

All-around valuable

Both Witt and De La Cruz are in the 80th percentile or better in batting, baserunning and fielding run value so far this season, a select group that includes just four others -- Brenton Doyle, Byron Buxton, Francisco Lindor and Jarren Duran -- per MLB’s Jason Bernard.

This is what we mean by all-around valuable; players who are among the best at generating value on both sides of the ball, as well as on the basepaths. It’s a unique combination that requires another level of athleticism.

Witt is in a class of his own in this regard, with 99th-percentile batting and baserunning value, and 98th-percentile fielding value. He’s the only player in the 90th percentile or better in each so far this season. Only two players have finished a season in the 90th percentile in all three since run value has been tracked by Statcast (2016); Julio Rodríguez in 2023 and Mookie Betts three times (2016, 2018, 2020).

But that’s not to take away from De La Cruz in the slightest. His current combination of 80th-percentile batting run value, 88th-percentile baserunning run value and 94th-percentile fielding run value is notable, too. There have been just 11 individual seasons where a player finished 80th, 85th and 90th percentile, respectively, since 2016 – and remember, four of those are the ones noted above.

What does this stat mean in real-world terms? Think of a player who you can count on equally to crush a homer, make a crucial play and take an extra base in a key situation. That’s high-level batting, fielding and baserunning value.

That is elite, game-changing ability, and it’s been on display from both players this season.

Power-speed combos

Key parts of those three forms of value are power, which factors into the batting run value, and speed, contributing to both the fielding and baserunning. Witt leads the Majors with a 30.4 ft/sec average sprint speed, and De La Cruz is second among qualified batters at 30.1 ft/sec. Both of those marks are in the elite, 30+ ft/sec threshold.

As for power, both players are in the 87th percentile or better in average bat speed, which is about as literal a measure of raw power as you can get. In related news, both are in the 80th percentile or better in barrel rate, which is how often a player makes contact with the ideal combination of launch angle and exit velocity.

They are two of just four players so far this season in both the 90th percentile or better in sprint speed and 85th percentile or better in bat speed, along with Rodríguez and Luke Raley. If we combine that same sprint speed threshold with 85th percentile in barrel rate instead, it’s again four players, with Jose Siri and Buxton joining the list.

Again, we ask, what does this power-speed combo manifest as on the field? Homers and stolen bases.

Earlier this month, Witt became the first player in MLB history with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in each of the first three seasons of his career. Last year, Witt registered one of just six 30-30 seasons by a shortstop all-time. He’s on pace to do so again, something no shortstop has done (Lindor is also on pace for his second consecutive 30-30 season at short).

Meanwhile, De La Cruz is just one stolen base shy of a 20-60 season, which would be just the eighth in history. He’s on pace for 28 homers and 79 stolen bases, a combo achieved just once ever -- by Rickey Henderson in 1986 (28 HR, 87 SB).

De La Cruz is the only player since 1900 with 80 stolen bases, 80 extra-base hits and 80 walks over his first 200 MLB games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s also the only player since 1900 with at least 65 stolen bases and 50 extra-base hits within one year of his first game in the Majors.

Impactful defense

The aforementioned speed allows each of these players to be game-changing defenders as well. One tangible stat outcome of that is where each rates in Outs Above Average, a range-based fielding metric – being faster certainly increases a player’s range.

Witt has 15 OAA, tied with Dansby Swanson for most among shortstops. De La Cruz is fifth on that list with 12th.

What distinguishes De La Cruz is his arm. His average max-effort arm strength of 91.3 mph is third among shortstops to make at least 300 throws this year, behind only his NL Central brethren Oneil Cruz (95.8 mph) and Masyn Winn (93.2 mph). He’s the only infielder to reach 99.0 mph on an assist under Statcast (2015), and he’s done it twice.

What’s next

Prepare to marvel at these two excellent young talents during this weekend series and for years to come. There are so many dynamic stars in baseball these days and we are so lucky to witness their careers.