Sal Stewart keeps showing up near the top of the rookie conversation, but not quite where Reds fans think he belongs.
After Bleacher Report slotted him sixth among rookies in 2026, Baseball America offered another ranking that leaves Stewart outside the very top of the class. In its Top 50 Graduated MLB Prospects in 2026 list, Baseball America placed the Cincinnati first baseman 20th.
That comes after a season that looked, by the numbers, like the kind of year that should have pushed him much higher. Stewart hit more than 30 home runs, drove in 112 runs, and was one of the best hitters with runners in scoring position. Still, the outside evaluations keep circling back to the same concerns: his glove and his value on the bases.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter ranked Stewart as the No. 6 rookie in the league, pointing to a lack of an elite glove and limited base-running value as the reasons for the placement. The critique landed especially hard because Stewart is playing first base, where he is being judged against a defensive standard that does not help him in WAR.
From Cincinnati’s perspective, that feels like a familiar slight. Stewart should be in the National League Rookie of the Year discussion, and his 2026 performance suggests he belongs much closer to the top of these lists than the middle.
Baseball America did give Stewart a strong label on the upside front, calling him an “All-Star 1st Basemen.” That’s the ceiling they attached to him, even after the season he just put together. The question now is how much more they think is left after a historic rookie year.
The Reds had another name on Baseball America’s graduated prospect list as well. Rhett Lowder came in at No. 41.
Lowder made his professional debut on August 30th, 2024, then missed the entire 2025 MLB season because of right forearm and left oblique injuries. After pitching for the Reds in 2026, he has used up his rookie eligibility and will no longer appear on prospect lists.
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