Sal Stewart’s latest honor puts a new spin on his Rookie of the Year case

Cincinnati Reds slugger Sal Stewart continues to rack up rookie honors, but the biggest prize has yet to be determined. The 2026 National League Rookie of the Year award will be announced on November 9, but earlier this week, the Major League Baseball Players Association named Stewart the Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Rookie.

While Reds fans are firmly focused on who the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) will choose — an award that brings an additional draft pick in 2027 — receiving recognition from your peers is quite the honor.

"Players know what it takes on a daily basis," Stewart said. "I'm fortunate that my peers respect the season I put together. That means a lot to me."

A number of those peers, including Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee Brewers), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers), and Yordan Àlvarez (Houston Astros) gave Stewart a glowing endorsement, citing his competitive spirit and elite on-field ability.

Reds rookie Sal Stewart keeps racking up honors, but will it be enough?

This is the second award Stewart has received this year. Just last week, The Sporting News named him the NL Rookie of the Year. While winning these prestigious awards isn't always a precursor to earning the same honor from the BBWAA, five of the last seven players to be named NL Outstanding Rookie by the MLBPA earned the NL Rookie of the Year trophy, including former Reds infielder Jonathan India.

Going into the month of September, Stewart was head and shoulders above the competition, and looked to be the runaway winner for the Jackie Robinson Award. Unfortunately, his bat cooled off during the month of September, giving rise to the idea that New York Mets' outfielder Carson Benge or St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt might sneak up and steal the award.

Stewart's detractors love to point to one specific statistic; Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Those pundits who are critical of Stewart's accomplishments cite his defensive shortcomings as the biggest reason why he shouldn't win this year's NL Rookie of the Year award. In so doing, they neglect his offensive prowess and clutch hitting — something that obviously wasn't lost on his peers.

Reds fans won't have to wait much longer to see who'll be named the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year. Stewart is the odds-on favorite to win, but nothing has been decided just yet.

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