First baseman Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds has been awarded the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year, concluding an impressive inaugural season for the power hitter.
Stewart now joins Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, who received the AL accolade, as the recipients of the rookie honors.
With 20 out of 30 first-place votes and accumulating a total of 170 points, Stewart surpassed the other contenders for the accolade, which included New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt.
This season, Stewart participated in all the games for the Reds, achieving a .263/.330/.457 batting line, hitting 32 home runs, and recording 112 RBIs, which ranked third in MLB, over the course of 162 games.
Cincinnati’s first baseman made his debut on September 1, 2025. Last year, he took part in 18 games, a number insufficient to disqualify him from rookie status.
Stewart started the 2026 season as the primary first baseman for the Reds, a role that had been challenging to fill since Joey Votto’s final season with the organization in 2023.
During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Cincy opened with Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first base. This year, he began in the minors but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles once Stewart established himself as the starting first baseman for the Reds.
Stewart becomes the ninth player in the history of Cincinnati to secure the NL Rookie of the Year award. He follows in the footsteps of 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).
Stewart, Wetherholt, and Benge were the three contenders for the 2026 NL recognition, in a contest that turned out to be more competitive compared to the AL race.
Wetherholt competed in 139 games this season. Although Stewart surpassed him in numerous statistical metrics, the Cardinals’ second baseman held the advantage in WAR. Stewart recorded 2.0 bWAR as a first baseman, whereas Wetherholt accumulated 4.5 bWAR at second base.
Benge tallied 168 hits during the season, placing him seventh in MLB. The Mets outfielder’s batting average of .282 ranked 15th among qualified players, contributing to his 4.3 bWAR.
