Photo: Doug Gray
When the 2026 Major League Baseball season began there had only been eight seasons in history where a shortstop had hit 30 home runs and stolen 30 bases in the same season. It had never happened in baseball until 1996 when Barry Larkin accomplished the feat for the Cincinnati Reds. Two players have gotten there twice and both were very recently. Bobby Witt Jr. got there in 2023 and 2024, while Francisco Lindor did so in 2023 and 2025. This season two more shortstops joined the group as CJ Abrams got there and then on Friday night Elly De La Cruz joined him.
The 30 home run and 30 stolen base club is small. Only 53 players are in it and it’s only happened 84 times in the history of Major League Baseball. But the group of shortstops who have done so is very small. Only eight shortstops are in the group and the Cincinnati Reds are now the only franchise that has two players in the club. At least for now, they have the first player to get there and the most recent one, too.
Of all the shortstops in the club, Elly De La Cruz played in the fewest games. De La Cruz is the only shortstop of the group to have played in fewer than 150 games. He’s played in 141 this season. He is also tied with Barry Larkin for the fewest plate appearances of any shortstop in the club with 627. De La Cruz likely passes Larkin as there are two games left in the season, but he won’t catch and pass anyone else.
In Cincinnati Reds history they have had four players reach the 30 home run and 30 stolen base mark. Eric Davis did so in 1987, Larkin in 1996, Brandon Phillips in 2007, and De La Cruz this season. That matches the Braves franchise for second most all time with four players to get there. Hank Aaron did so as a Milwaukee Brave in 1963, and then Dale Murphy, Ron Gant, and Ronald Acuna Jr. after the team moved to Atlanta. The New York Mets have had five players accomplish the feat. Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry both joined the club in 1987, David Wright did so in 2007, Francisco Lindor in 2023, and then most recently it was Juan Soto in 2025.
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