Granted, he got a huge head start over Ole Miss baseball ... one career home run in four seasons at Illinois State. Suddenly, Cheng has discovered some home run pop in his bat.

De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two home runs in a 14-3 Reds win ... jaw-dropping moments long before the phrase "torpedo bat" became a baseball-ism. Needless to say, the bat didn't get full credit ...