Elly De La Cruz: Reds top prospect follows line of great Louisville Bats players

It lasted only 38 games, but the memories of Elly De La Cruz's short season with the Louisville Bats will go on forever.

The Cincinnati Reds called up their top prospect in baseball Tuesday, and the 21-year-old phenom reached base three times in his major league debut in a comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

De La Cruz quickly rose through Cincinnati's farm system since signing as an international free agent in 2018. After he was sent to the Triple-A Bats to start this season, the 6-foot-5 shortstop gave fans at Louisville Slugger Field more to be excited about than $2 beer and hot dog nights.

He hit .297 with 12 home runs and a 1.031 OPS in Louisville. In one game, he hit balls with exit velocities of 118.8 mph (double), 117.1 mph (428-foot homer) and 116.6 mph (456-foot homer). It was the first time any player – or even any MLB team – hit three balls at an exit velocity above 116 mph in the same game since Statcast began recording data in 2015, according to MLB.com’s research.

He hit a two-run homer (it was a bomb) to win a game in walk-off fashion. He uncorked a throw from third base that registered 99.2 mph.

So as Louisville fans lament De La Cruz's call-up, we decided to take a look back at some other top prospect who have passed through town.

Here's a list of the 10 best (or at least notable) players to come up through the Bats since the franchise's affiliation with the Reds.

Note: The list is based on major league success, so De La Cruz doesn't qualify (yet?). Plus we excluded former American League MVP Josh Hamilton, who played 11 games in Louisville in 2007. As a Rule 5 Draft pick, he debuted with the Reds on Opening Day that year and did not play for the Bats beforehand.

Here we go:

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Joey Votto

The face of the Reds franchise at first base for more than 15 years, Votto is currently on rehab assignment with the Bats. A six-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and 2010 National League Most Valuable Player, the Canadian first baseman made his debut with Cincinnati on Sept. 4, 2007, after 133 games in Louisville that summer.

Jay Bruce

The 12th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft played in 49 games with the Bats in 2008 before his May 27 call-up. A three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, Bruce carved out a 14-year career, most of which came as a core power hitter with the Reds. He hit a walk-off home run that clinched the NL Central for the Reds in 2010.

Aroldis Chapman

The "Cuban Missile" has been devastating lineups with his scorching left-handed deliveries since he debuted for the Reds on Aug. 31, 2010. The Guinness World Record holder for the fastest pitch ever thrown (105.8 mph) spent just 39 games with the Bats before that but completed a few rehab assignments in Louisville.

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Johnny Cueto

Before he anchored the Reds' rotation during their stretch of two division titles in three years, Cueto rose from Class A to the Bats in the 2007 season. Making his MLB debut April 3, 2008, after just four appearances in Louisville, the now 37-year-old is still on a major league roster 15 years later with the Miami Marlins. He went 44-20 for the Reds between 2012 and 2014, coming in second for the Cy Young Award in 2014.

Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees manager spent 131 games in Louisville in 1997 before his June 20 debut. A 2003 All-Star selection, the third baseman hit the final homer at the Reds' former home in Riverfront Stadium on Sep. 22, 2002.

Todd Frazier

A memorable winner of the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby when Cincinnati hosted the All-Star festivities, the "Toddfather" spent nearly two full seasons with the Bats in 2010 and 2011 before his May 23, 2011 Reds debut. A two-time All-Star, Frazier was a fan favorite at third base in Cincinnati for five seasons and ultimately played 11 in the show.

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Adam Dunn

Enshrined in the Reds' Hall of Fame in 2018, Dunn spent 55 games with the RiverBats in 2001 before a July 20 call-up. The two-time All-Star nicknamed "Big Donkey" shares a tie for the most Opening Day home runs with eight but is also currently third on the all-time strikeouts list.

Edwin Encarnación

The Texas Rangers' ninth-round pick in 2000, Encarnación had an up-and-down stint in Cincinnati before developing into a three-time All-Star selection with the Toronto Blue Jays. Before leading the American League in runs batted in in 2016, he spent parts of 2006, 2007 and 2009 in Louisville although he made his major league debut June 24, 2005.

Zack Cozart

The shortstop, an Ole Miss product, was a second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2007 and was the Reds' starter for years although hampered by injuries. An All-Star in 2017, he led the International League in at bats and runs in 2010 before a July 7 call-up the next year.

Homer Bailey

Bailey was the highly touted seventh overall draft pick by the Reds in 2004. He started 12 games for the Bats in 2007 before a June 8 major league debut. Despite the big right-hander's career-long battles with inconsistency and injuries, he is one of only three Cincinnati pitchers to to throw more than one no-hitter.

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Reach reporter Caleb Wiegandt at cwiegandt@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CalebWiegandt. The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 10 Louisville Bats greats who preceded Reds prospect Elly De La Cruz