Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart has been named the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year, capping off a strong hitting season.
Stewart joins Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, who won the AL Rookie honor.
Stewart played in every game for the Reds this season. He slashed .263/.330/.457 while hitting 32 home runs and 112 RBI (the third-most in MLB).
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Cincinnati’s first baseman debuted on September 1, 2025, as a September call-up. He played 18 games that season but did not meet the threshold to burn his rookie eligibility.
Stewart began the 2026 campaign as the Reds’ starting first baseman. Cincinnati had struggled to fill the hole at the position since Joey Votto’s last season with the Reds in 2023.
Cincy started the 2024 and 2025 seasons with Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first base. This year, he started in the minors and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after Stewart cemented himself as the starter.
Stewart is the ninth player in Cincinnati history to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He joins Frank Robinson (1956), Pete Rose (1963), Tommy Helms (1966), Johnny Bench (1968), Pat Zachry (1976), Chris Sabo (1988), Scott Williamson (1999), and Jonathan India (2021).
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The other two finalists for the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year Award were St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt and New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge.
Wetherholt played in 139 games this year. While Stewart led him in most statistical categories, the Cardinals second baseman had the edge in WAR. Stewart posted 1.4 WAR as a first baseman, while Wetherholt logged 4.5 WAR, the best mark on the Cardinals and 15th best among MLB hitters.
Benge had 168 hits this season, the seventh-most in MLB. The Mets outfielder’s .282 average was the 15th-best among qualified hitters. He posted a 4.3 WAR, tied for 18th-best in the majors with San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
