Which baseball player could excel at another sport? MLB player survey places 2 Reds in Top 5

Posted by author March 8, 2025 Sports

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MLB.com and its beat writers surveyed over 100 players asking them which MLB player would excel at another sport and two Cincinnati Reds players ranked in the Top 5.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz came in at No. 3 and outfielder Will Benson came in tied at No. 5.

The responding players were promised anonymity, but the consensus was that De La Cruz would make a great football player and Benson a basketball player.

“I think he could play football,” an NL outfielder said of De La Cruz. “He’s quick. I feel like he has a fearless mentality. He just plays the game. He’ll play whatever position — wide receiver, corner. He’s tall, so he could kind of go out and get it.”

And Benson almost played basketball at Duke.

“He had a preferred walk-on at Duke,” said an AL outfielder. “I think he would have been just fine there.”

Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers was ranked No. 1 on the survey, with a variety of sports listed, but his bowling prowess made that sport his top answer.

Filling out the list was the New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge at No. 2, the Kansas City Royals‘ Bobby Witt Jr. at No. 4 and the Cleveland Guardians‘ Jose Ramirez and the San Francisco Giants‘ Justin Verlander tied with Benson at No. 5.