Reds' Sal Stewart gets a major boost from his peers in NL Rookie of the Year push

The Major League Baseball Player's Choice Awards nominees were made public earlier this week, and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart was among the National League finalists for the Outstanding Rookie Award.

Stewart, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, and Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield were the three finalists. Not mentioned, however, is arguably Stewart's closest competition for the NL Rookie of the Year award. Neither New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean nor his teammate Carson Benge were among the final three rookies honored by the MLBPA.

This is just the latest sign that Stewart is likely to take home this year's Jackie Robinson Award for the National League. Though the finalists for Rookie of the Year award and the date of the presentation are still unknown, Stewart is a slam dunk to be among the group.

Wetherholt was an early-favorite, but a downturn in production and a midseason injury really took the shine off his rookie campaign. Benge made a late-run down the stretch, and Stewart failed to lock down the award given his poor performance during the month of September. But it would seem that Stewart's peers see him as more deserving than Benge for this year's NL Rookie of the Year award.

Reds' rookie Sal Stewart stands out above his peers despite WAR saying otherwise

Stewart's biggest detractors from his Rookie of the Year candidacy have continually pointed to one statistic; Wins Above Replacement, also known as WAR. While it's true that Stewart's 2.0 fWAR and 1.8 bWAR are lower than the other four rookies mentioned, his counting stats and production during clutch moments can't be adequately measured by WAR.

Stewart played in 162 games this past season — something no other rookie in all of baseball did — and finished with a .263/.330/.457 slash line, 32 home runs, 111 RBI, 15 stolen bases, a 117 OPS+, and a 112 wRC+. No other rookie in the NL came close to Stewart's home run or RBI totals. He has a dozen more dingers than Benge and 39 more RBI than Rumfield.

Stewart also shined when the lights were brightest. With two outs and runners in scoring position — a significant clutch stat — the Reds' slugger hit .281/.378/.469 with 28 RBI and a 13.5% walk rate. Stewart's .847 OPS in those situations is more than 100 points higher than Benge (.723 OPS) and 81 points better than Wetherholt (.766 OPS).

Most Reds fans believe Stewart should win the NL Rookie of the Year award without much of a fuss, but the outside noise is deafening. This latest honor from the MLBPA, however, lends more credence to the idea that Stewart's got this thing in the bag.

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