Reds slugger Sal Stewart needs one thing to steal Rookie of the Year spotlight

There's no doubt that the road to the National League Rookie of the Year award runs through the NL Central. That was true on Day 1 one of the 2026 season, and it's true today, roughly halfway through the campaign. Between Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Konnor Griffin, St. Louis Cardinals maven JJ Wetherholt, and Cincinnati Reds slugger Sal Stewart, youngsters in other divisions barely have a shot.

Before the season, a poll of executives wasn't very complimentary to Stewart. The budding Reds star got only 4.7% of the vote, tying him with Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Zyhir Hope, who is in Double-A. After Stewart's showing duringh is September call-up and during the Reds' brief appearance in the postseason, that was a slap in the face.

The darling wasn't then-No. 1 overall prospect, Konnor Griffin, either. Instead, it was JJ Wetherholt, who garnered 30.2% of the vote. But once the season kicked off, Stewart made a big statement. He has since fallen off from that rare MVP pace as a rookie, but he's still having a fantastic rookie season.

In fact, he's on pace to do something no rookie has ever done before. Stewart is trending to hit 29 homers, drive in 112 runs, and steal 23 bases. No rookie in history has ever hit 25 or more homers while also recording 100 or more RBI and stealing 20-plus bases. The fact that Stewart is on this pace speaks volumes to the kind of well-rounded skillset he has.

Sal Stewart is on a historic pace, but the Reds' youngster needs another hot streak to earn Rookie of the Year honors

Objectively, Wetherholt is a fantastic young talent, and his .262/.361/.414 line and superior defense will and should give Stewart a run for his money. It's hard to deny Stewart given his historic pace, however, and if Cincy's prized asset comes through and manages that finish, he will be impossible to deny.

However, in order for Stewart to maintain that pace, he's going to have to pick things up. After posting a .943 OPS and clubbing nine dingers in the season's first month, he's gone yard just five times and recorded a .692 OPS since May 1.

He doesn't need to get back to that torrid start, but if something doesn't change, the 22-year-old is going to fall short of those historic benchmarks.

Here's the good news. The kid has his head screwed on right, and that will serve him well. Reds fans should feel confident that he'll break out of his two-month-long slump sooner rather than later, and when that happens, watch out. This record-setting finish is well within Stewart's reach, and when he reaches it, he'll be guaranteed the Rookie of the Year hardware.

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