Sal Stewart’s 32-homer rookie season earns him NL Rookie of the Year honors

Sal Stewart’s historic rookie production put a clear stamp on his 2026 debut season, and on Monday he was named the National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Stewart, a Reds first baseman in his age-22 season, received 20 first-place votes and totaled 170 points, finishing ahead of Mets outfielder Carson Benge (seven first-place votes, 107 points) and Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (three first-place votes, 99 points).

On the offensive side, Stewart’s résumé backed up the vote. During his first full big league season, he played all 162 games (161 starts) and hit 32 home runs with 112 RBIs. His batting line included a.263 average and a.787 OPS.

Stewart also set several franchise and rookie benchmarks. The Reds’ statement on his award notes that he became the only Reds rookie to record a 30-homer, 100-RBI season, joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only Reds rookies to reach 30 homers, and set the franchise rookie record for RBIs.

The award campaign extended beyond raw power. MLB’s recap of Stewart’s season says he led all NL rookies in home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits (57) and total bases (285), while his 164 hits were tied for second among NL rookies and the most by a Reds rookie since Pete Rose’s 170 in 1963.