Is ONeil Cruz related to Elly De La Cruz? What to know about connection between Pirates, Reds stars

Star players connected rival teams often get compared pinch each other, but that has been taken to an utmost pinch ONeil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz.

The Pirates and Reds stars person spent nan past fewer years fighting disconnected parallels betwixt everything from their names, to their teams and to their positions. However, since neither Pittsburgh nor Cincinnati has made nan playoffs since their stars' debuts, some players haven't been exposed to nan nationalist astatine precocious levels.

Here's a breakdown of nan similarities and differences betwixt these 2 NL stars.

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Is ONeil Cruz related to Elly De La Cruz?

No, ONeil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz are not related.

While some players are from nan Dominican Republic, they do not travel from nan aforesaid family, and they don't moreover person nan aforesaid past name. Elly's past sanction is De La Cruz successful full, while ONeil's past sanction is simply Cruz.

Still, nan 2 get compared to each other, mostly owed to their profession similarities. Both played shortstop for NL Central teams, Cruz successful Pittsburgh and De La Cruz successful Cincinnati, and Cruz is 26 years aged while De La Cruz is 22.

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ONeil Cruz vs. Elly De La Cruz comparison

The comparison betwixt Cruz and De La Cruz spell beyond their names. The 2 stars are akin heights, pinch ONeil opinionated astatine 6-foot-7 and Elly astatine 6-foot-5, and they were some shortstops astatine first. While Cruz has since moved to nan outfield, De La Cruz remains astatine shortstop for Cincinnati.

Additionally, they some person immense powerfulness and velocity combinations, offering move skillsets. While Cruz hits lefty, De La Cruz is simply a switch-hitter but spends astir of nan clip hitting from nan near broadside of nan plate.

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Both Cruz and De La Cruz are capable to deed nan shot highly hard, arsenic Cruz has deed nan hardest shot of nan year, and of nan Statcast era, pinch a 122.9 exit velocity, while De La Cruz maxed retired astatine 119.2 successful 2023. They besides some person akin sprint speeds, arsenic Statcast has Cruz astatine 29.3 mph and De La Cruz astatine 29.1 mph.

ONEIL CRUZ 122.9 MPH FOR THE HARDEST HIT BASEBALL EVER IN MLB STATCAST ERApic.twitter.com/WoKsBej26Z

Here's a look astatine really ONeil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz person compared truthful acold successful their careers:

While nan 2 players person performed likewise successful their careers, De La Cruz is somewhat amended astatine nan moment, particularly considering that he is 4 years younger.

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