The 2026 season hasn’t played out the way the Cincinnati Reds had hoped. Making the playoffs as a wild card last year, the expectation was to build off that momentum and make a push to win the NL Central. That expectation looked promising at the start of the season, but has taken a turn for the worse since.
Given everything that has gone bad for the Cincinnati ball club, rookie rising star Sal Stewart has been one of the best things for the Reds this season.
Stewart got the big league call on Sep. 1 of last season. Since posting a .255 BA with a .839 OPS in 18 games to close out last year, the 32nd overall pick hasn’t looked back. He is setting franchise records and became an All-Star in his rookie season.
With the impact and success he has produced this year, Stewart is making a case for being named the NL Rookie of the Year.
Best Rookie on Offense
There’s no doubt that Stewart has a lot of confidence in the batter’s box. He doesn’t act like a rookie when he’s straddling the dish. The 21-year-old is not only among the top in several rookie offensive categories, but he’s also among the top in the entire MLB.
Stewart leads all rookies with 80 RBIs, which is the second most in all of baseball. With the number of runs he has plated, Stewart set a Reds rookie record during the July series against the Cleveland Guardians with his 20th collected RBI of the month — no other rookie Red has compiled 20+ RBIs in three different months.
The 20th RBI in July is grouped with his 26 in April and 22 in June. He has been elite at driving home runs and is the focal point of the Reds’ offense.
Stewart is also dominating in the extra-base-hit category among the first-year players. He leads all rookies with 45 XBHs. More specifically, his 23 doubles and 22 home runs rank both second among rookies. To round out his offensive production, the infielder is in the top three in hits and walks. He also has the fourth most runs scored. If he continues to perform like this for the rest of the season, he is on pace to do something no other rookie has done before.
Stewart Is on Pace to Be An All-Time Rookie
Having played in every game this season so far, Stewart is on a 162-game pace of 33 home runs, 120 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. There have been 14 players to hit 30+ home runs and collect over 100+ RBIs as a rookie. Only one player on that list has stolen more than 10 bases.
Currently at 12 stolen bases, Stewart would just need four more to be the first rookie with that stat line. With a little over two months left in the season, that pace doesn’t seem out of reach.
Reds’ Most Valuable Player
Sal Stewart has quickly become one of the Reds’ best players in his first full year in Cincinnati. His bat has been the best on the team throughout the entire season. The rookie continues to be in the lineup every game because his bat produces game-changing moments. Even if he gets the day off, he will appear later and make his presence known.
Stewart is always creating points on the scoreboard and finds ways to deliver in clutch moments.
The first-round pick is leading the way for the Reds in hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and walks. If he’s not leading in an offensive category, he’s the next best. He’s second on the team in runs scored, stolen bases, and singles. The All-Star’s batting average of .253 is fifth in the dugout, and his OPS of .807 is ranked fourth.
Before the All-Star break, Stewart broke a 70-year-old record. Hitting his 19th home run, he set the Reds’ franchise record for the most home runs by a rookie before the break, previously held by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. As Stewart continues to smash the baseball, Robinson’s record of 38 total home runs as a rookie might not be safe either.
The Winner Is in the Central
The race for the NL Rookie of the Year goes through the NL Central. The competition has been boiled down to two players: Stewart is battling St. Louis Cardinals’ infielder JJ Wetherholt for the award.
As it stands now, Wetherholt is the favorite to win and was picked to win before opening day. In a pre-season poll, members of baseball’s front offices voted that Wetherholt would win Rookie of the Year.
Getting 30.2% of the votes for the NL award, it was clear who the eyes were going to be on. With only 4.7% of the votes, Stewart did get some love from the executives, but he’s had to earn his high level of recognition. As the season has played out, Stewart has closed the gap on the pre-season favorite and is getting closer to achieving a dream.
Comparing the two rookies on the field, Stewart has the edge in almost all categories. Stewart is ahead of Wetherholt in hits, home runs, RBIs, walks, stolen bases, batting average, slugging, on-base plus slugging, and OPS+. Wetherholt has the Reds’ infielder beat in on-base percentage, runs scored, and wins above replacement. Dominating in all these offensive categories bodes well for Stewart. The only argument against the Reds’ rookie is the WAR disparity.
Stewart’s Elite Production Outweighs WAR
Wetherholt is rocking an impressive WAR of 4.1, whereas Stewart is holding up a 1.5. WAR looks at a player’s batting, base running, and fielding to estimate a player’s total value versus a potential replacement player. Although it’s an important stat when looking at how valuable a player can be at their position, it’s not an end-all, be-all. It’s not a black-and-white stat, as there are different versions that come to different conclusions. Wetherholt’s strong defense and base running skills increase his WAR, but Stewart’s elite offensive production provides an irreplaceable element that can’t be overlooked.
Looking at the stats that are clear and simple, Stewart is leading the way and should be the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year. A high WAR may give his competition a slight edge, but Stewart’s dominant bat and record-breaking rookie year speak for themselves. His emergence as an elite force on offense makes an undeniably strong case to bring the NL Rookie of the Year trophy home to Cincinnati.
Leave a comment