Sal Stewart is making MLB execs regret their preseason Rookie of the Year picks

Today's Blog Red Machine entry is brought to you by the "Takes That Aged Like Milk Department." Not our own takes, mind you (though we have our share), but rather the league at large. Of course, we're talking about Cincinnati Reds phenom Sal Stewart and his march to the NL Rookie of the Year award.

We knew that Stewart's path to the hardware likely ran through the NL Central. On paper, Konnor Griffin and JJ Wetherholt were formidable foes, but it was clear to most that Stewart could stand toe-to-toe with them. Well, maybe it wasn't clear to everyone.

Back in January, MLB.com conducted a poll of MLB executives to determine who the frontrunners were for the Rookie of the Year title. The leading vote-getter was Wetherholt, with 30.2% of the vote. Second place was New York Mets starter Nolan McLean at 25.6%. Third place? That was Griffin at 16.3%.

Stewart? He was all the way down tied for fifth with Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford and then-Los Angeles Dodgers prospect and current Detroit Tigers farmhand Zyhir Hope with 4.7% of the ballots. Now, just to contextualize that disrespect, Hope was coming in with just six games played above High-A in his career.

Mind you, Stewart was one of the only players on the list who got his feet wet in 2025, and he did so by posting an .839 OPS over 18 games. He also played in two postseason games against the Dodgers, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and a stolen base. He literally telegraphed what he was about to unleash on the rest of the league, but apparently, these executives weren't paying attention.

MLB executives look foolish as Reds star Sal Stewart puts up a historic rookie campaign

Stewart now has over 30 homers and 100-plus RBI. That makes him the fifth player since 1994 to hit at least 30 homers and drive in 100 runs as a rookie. The other four players on the list are Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Albert Pujols, and Jose Abreu.

Two of those guys are surefire Hall of Famers and widely regarded as the best hitters of their respective generations (Pujols and Judge), while Alonso is one of the best pure power hitters of modern times, and Abreu was a 27-year-old rookie with a wealth of experience in Cuba prior to his MLB debut.

When you adjust for age, what Stewart has done is even more impressive. He's one of four players in MLB history, age 22 or younger, to reach these milestones. The others are Pujols, Ted Williams, and Hal Trosky.

These days, the pundits are singing Stewart's praises. Wetherholt hitting the IL helped, but you rarely hear the mainstream media trying to make the defense and positional value case for the Cardinals second baseman anymore.

Stewart's historic run has made the NL Rookie of the Year award seem like a mere formality. Shame on the MLB executives for not recognizing his talent when they were giving a literal preview. For the Reds, as bad as 2026 has been, the future is bright thanks to their budding young star.

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