De La Cruz, Greene turn Red Carpet to Reds' Carpet

This story was excerpted from the Reds Beat newsletter. Melanie Martinez-Lopez is pinch-hitting for Mark Sheldon on this newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WASHINGTON -- Elly De La Cruz sat at the FOX Sports desk as a first-time All-Star with a smile that would not disappear. His favorite player, Derek Jeter, was sitting just one seat over.

Almost a week after shaking hands with the Hall of Famer and 14-time All-Star, the memory of meeting his idol still brings a smile to the Reds' shortstop.

“I was so thankful that I was finally able to meet him,” the 22-year-old De La Cruz said in Spanish on Saturday. “I grew up being a Yankees fan, and [I] feel so proud and grateful to have met such a great person. ... I liked how he played and how he was a leader.”

Meeting his favorite player was just one of the many moments the Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic, native lived during his Midsummer Classic experience, and he made sure to take it all in.

Joining De La Cruz in Arlington were Cincinnati manager David Bell and right-handed starter Hunter Greene, who also made their All-Star debut.

“It was fun to be there with Hunter and Elly,” Bell said. “[We] traveled together to get to the game, and not that they needed my help or anything, but it was good. They seemed to enjoy it. They took it all in.”

De La Cruz and Greene stuck to the Texas theme in their outfits as they walked down the All-Star Red Carpet.

“The red carpet, that was so cool,” De La Cruz said. “It was unforgettable. All the fans are there waiting for you, having the interviews and everything. It was very nice and you get to show off your flow.”

Greene made his way down the red carpet first. His “flow” consisted of an all-black ensemble with white fringe on the jacket and a black cowboy hat.

De La Cruz wore a similar black cowboy hat, but he opted for a bolder pink suit. He said he had already planned on wearing the outfit, but it had arrived late. Luckily, things worked out and the shortstop was the last player to walk on the carpet, closing the event. He earned the “Best Dressed” honor by Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez, who was the fashion judge.

• Coach Prime among Elly's fans: 'I love what he brings to the game'

De La Cruz's fashion statement did not stop there. Just a few hours later during the Midsummer Classic, he wore pink Louis Vuitton cleats, making him stand out even more.

De La Cruz's talent and fashion made him impossible to ignore, and throughout the week, the shortstop had to learn how to navigate the large amount of media attention he was garnering.

“He handled it just like he handles everything that he's faced so far in his career,” Bell said. “He seemed to enjoy it. He smiled a lot. There's a lot for him to have to deal with at an early age, but he's handled that great. Same thing at the All-Star Game. Every time I saw him, he was smiling. Enjoying things like meeting teammates and all that. I think it was a good experience.”

The Reds' manager also enjoyed his All-Star experience, making an appearance on the field following his everyday shortstop, who entered in the sixth inning. Bell was called to make a pitching change by the National League manager, D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo. While he did not want to go out there, he had no choice.

“Torey told me right before that I was making the next pitching change and I told him, ‘No, I'm not, I'm not going out there,’” Bell recalled. “So he left the dugout and went into the clubhouse. So either I was going to make it or it wasn't going to happen.”

This year’s Midsummer Classic will not be one De La Cruz will forget.

“It was a very beautiful experience,” De La Cruz said. “With all of those star players that were there, I had fun and I enjoyed every moment.”

Now the focus is back to the second half of the season and De La Cruz continues to prove why he was in Texas during the All-Star break. In the first two games back from the break against the Nationals, the shortstop went 2-for-9 (.222), scoring one run and recording one RBI.