Reds rookie Sal Stewart isn't shy about using ABS challenges (and with good reason)

Cincinnati Reds rookie phenom, Sal Stewart, got off to such a hot start that he was on a historic pace. However, as the calendar flipped to May, Stewart began to slump. His .711 OPS in May has dropped to a .577 mark over the first half of June, and it's clear that the talented youngster needs to make some adjustments.

One thing that he doesn't need to change, however, is the frequency with which he utilizes the ABS challenge system. The 22-year-old leads the MLB in total number of challenges initiated with 30, and with a 66.7% success rate, he's more than justified in his aggressiveness in questioning borderline calls.

While in general, younger players who have experience with the ABS system from when it was a minor league pilot program have fared better than many veterans, Stewart's numbers still stand out and tell us something very important that should have Cincinnati feeling as if a turnaround for the young star is just around the corner.

Sal Stewart's ABS excellence highlights his elite batter's eye and should lead to a Reds' bounceback

Plate discipline has always been a hallmark of Stewart's skill set, with him posting double-digit walk rates throughout his minor league career. The only time we've seen Stewart struggle with generating free passes was when he posted a 5.2% clip during his 18-game September call-up last year.

This year, the youngster's free pass rate is up to a stellar 12.8%, which shouldn't be a surprise given how many times he's flipped erroneous strikes to balls, as well as what that skill says about his vision at the plate.

For one thing, this all means that even if he's dealing with a mechanical issue, fatigue, or some other cause for a slump, he'll never fully bottom out because he will always draw walks.

On top of that, the vision at the plate also suggests that, in general, Stewart is more likely than most to make contact, since he's correctly identifying tough, un-hittable pitches. That compounds with the fact that his strength means that increased contact should also generate a greater-than-average rate of hard contact since he's not swinging at tough pitches off the corner and more often is pulling the trigger on pitches that he can drive.

So while Stewart scuffles, the bottom won't completely come out thanks to his discipline. And that discipline could be the key to him turning it around. Another reason why Stewart might be struggling now is simply fatigue. While he's young, he's also played every game so far this season with no days off.

Giving him a day off and being a bit more careful about his workload should be a priority for the Reds. If that happens, he might come back just a hair quicker with his bat, which could make all the difference.

For Stewart, everything starts with the plate discipline, which his ABS challenge stats are the perfect illustration of. He's been aggressive early and often, and it's fully justified. Those same skills are also so important for slump management and slump busting, the latter of which we hope comes very soon.

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