What Is Elly De La Cruz's Net Worth and Salary?
Elly De La Cruz is a Dominican professional baseball infielder who has a net worth of $400 thousand. Elly De La Cruz made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023. On June 23, 2023, he achieved a hit for the cycle when he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in a game against the Atlanta Braves. At the age of 21, Elly was the youngest player to achieve the feat since César Cedeño in 1972.
Salary
Ahead of the 2023 season Elly De La Cruz signed a 1-year, $720,000 contract with the Cincinnati Reds.
Contract Details
Before making it to the major leagues, De La Cruz signed with a company called Big League Advance (now known as Big League Advantage). According to the official BLA website, "Big League Advantage, LLC (BLA) is an investment fund that provides athletes with the resources they need to help make their dream a reality. Players receive capital – not loans – and a player keeps the funds whether or not he ever makes it to the next level. For players who make it to the next level, we share in their success."
As long as Elly is an MLB player, he'll pay 10% of every dollar he makes to BLA. The company was founded by former pitcher Michael Schwimer in 2016. In June 2023, MSNBC columnist Julio Ricardo Varela wrote an opinion piece about this deal titled "This financial decision could haunt Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz." Varela wrote, "If De La Cruz does earn hundreds of millions of dollars in the majors, then he'll likely owe BLA tens of millions of dollars. That's one of the stark realities of America's pastime: The systemic exploitation of players, especially Black Spanish-speaking Latino ones, is as linked to the game as hot dogs, peanuts and cold beer."
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Early Life
Elly De La Cruz was born Elly Antonio De La Cruz on January 11, 2002, in Sabana Grande de Boyá, Dominican Republic. He has eight siblings, including a fraternal twin brother named Pedro. Elly is nine inches taller than Pedro, which has caused confusion among people who don't know the twins. Pedro told ESPN in June 2023, "They say it's not true. So we just have to show people the birth certificate for them to believe."
In a 2023 interview with the "Cincinnati Enquirer," De La Cruz said that he moved out of his home at the age of 6, stating, "The brother of my coach offered me a chance to live with him because he would provide food for me and train me. I told him, 'You have to ask my mom.' After that, they made the decision, and I started living with the brother of my coach."
Elly trained at a baseball academy in Santo Domingo and played the positions of left fielder and pitcher on local teams. While playing in a tournament, he impressed the Vilorio family, who chose him for their new team and "gave him a new glove, a new bat and a new place to live." De La Cruz told the "Cincinnati Enquirer," "They treated me like a son. They gave me everything. Everything I have, I need to thank them for."
Career
Elly signed with the Cincinnati Reds in July 2018 as an international free agent, receiving a $65,000 signing bonus. His professional debut took place in 2019 with the minor league team the Dominican Summer League Reds, and he hit .285 in 43 games. De La Cruz didn't play in 2020 because the minor league season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Elly played for the Rookie-level Cincinnati Reds affiliate the Arizona Complex League Reds and the Single-A Reds affiliate the Daytona Tortugas. He played in more than 60 games that year and scored eight home runs and 42 RBIs and batted a cumulative .296/.336/.539. In 2022, De La Cruz played for the Reds affiliates the Dayton Dragons (High–A) and the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double–A). He played in 121 games, hitting .304/.359/.586 with 28 home runs (a career high) and 86 RBIs. Elly was selected to represent the Reds in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game, and he said of the honor, "It's an All-Star Game, so you got to enjoy it, and I'm going to enjoy every bit of it. I'm very proud of myself and the work I've been doing, all my work to this moment. I'm very proud for accomplishing that and very happy, very happy."
In November 2022, De La Cruz was added to the Reds' roster so the team could protect him from the MLB's Rule 5 draft, which "aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other organizations would be willing to have them play in the major leagues." Elly was optioned to the Triple-A Reds affiliate the Louisville Bats for the beginning of the 2023 season. He played 38 games for the team, batting .298/.398/.633 and hitting 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. He was promoted to the major leagues on June 6, 2023, after Nick Senzel was injured. The following day, De La Cruz hit his first home run in the major leagues. On July 8, 2023, he stole second, third, and home in a single inning, making him the first Reds player to do so in more than 100 years.
Personal Life
Elly wears a pendant with his mother's photo, and according to the "Cincinnati Enquirer," "It's there because it reminds him of all of the times he doubted he could make it to the big leagues. It's there because it reminds him of growing up in the Dominican Republic and how all he ever wanted was a baseball jersey. It reminds him of when his mother, Carmin, told him that no matter how far his baseball career goes, she'd always be proud of him." De La Cruz said of his mother, "I just want to give everything to her. She's why I'm here, and I want her to feel proud of me."
