Sal Stewart’s latest honor should silence his Rookie of the Year doubters

As a team, the Cincinnati Reds had a horrific performance offensively in 2026. Cincinnati's team batting average (.229), on-base percentage (.305), and wRC+ (91) were the worst in the major leagues. One can only imagine what those numbers would've looked like had it not been for Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz.

The two Reds' stars helped to buoy the team's lineup, especially after the All-Star break. Terry Francona switched up the Reds' batting order midway through the season, deploying De La Cruz and Stewart atop his lineup card, and watched them put up fantastic numbers in 2026.

The two were honored for their offensive performances this week with both players being named finalists for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award. The award was introduced in 1999 and is handed out annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league.

Ten players from each league make the cut. De La Cruz and Stewart were one of two sets of teammates to receive the honor this season. The others were Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Reds slugger Sal Stewart adds another honor to his Rookie of the Year résumé

After earning Rookie of the Month honors in August, Stewart's play in September came to a grinding halt. Nevertheless, the Reds' slugger still ended the year with a .263/.330/.457 slash line, 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and a 112 wRC+.

In any other year, those numbers would result in Stewart being named the unanimous 2026 National League Rookie of the Year. But admittedly, there's some stiff competition this year — and the rigors of a 162-game season caught up to Stewart down the stretch — giving rise to the idea that the Reds rookie shouldn't even be among the top vote-getters.

Don't shoot the messenger. If you want proof, go see what fans of the New York Mets and, yes, even the St. Louis Cardinals fans think about the NL Rookie of the Year race. Even Colorado Rockies fans — the four that admit to it — believe their candidate has a better résumé than Stewart.

But Stewart is the only rookie (in either league) who's up for this year's Hank Aaron Award. Yes, the award is focused on a player's offensive performance, but so is the Rookie of the Year award. Nine of the past 12 Rookie of the Year award-winners were position players The only exceptions were Devin Williams (2020), Luis Gil (2024), and Paul Skenes (2025). And none of the position players were given the award because of their defense.

The internet tough guys and keyboard warriors have done their best to sully Stewart's accomplishments from this past season, but this latest honor should shut up the notification gremlins forever. It should, but it won't.

The internet discourse will exist until the NL Rookie of the Year award is handed out next month. Depending on the results, Reds fans will either get to perform a victory lap or enjoy a huge slice of humble pie. Either way, the debate will be settled when the award is handed out in early November.

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