Reds’ most valuable player this season isn’t who anyone predicted it would be

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan | Jeff Dean/GettyImagesOf the reasons to be excited about the Cincinnati Reds coming into this season, you'd have to rank Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene, and the returning Matt McLain near the top. After all, De La Cruz put up one of the more electrifying seasons in recent memory in 2024 with his power and speed combo, Greene had finally unlocked his talents to the point where they matched his production, and McLain's return from injury was enough to convince the club to ship Jonathan India out of town.

However, if one were to honestly answer the question of who has been the Reds' MVP this year, none of those guys would be the right answer. Sure, De La…