Sal Stewart keeps turning a rookie season into a Reds record book tour, and Thursday night added another stop.
In Cincinnati’s win that completed a three-game sweep of the Athletics, the 22-year-old launched his 25th home run of the season. That blast moved him into sole possession of second place on the Reds’ all-time rookie home run list, behind only Frank Robinson, who hit 38 in 1956.
After the game, Terry Francona couldn’t resist poking fun at the moment that produced it. Speaking to Charlie Goldsmith, the Reds manager said, "Sal was leading off.
It was after a long inning." Francona told Charlie Goldsmith.
"He asked if he should take one because a lot of times after a long inning you don’t want to have a quick inning. I said I want you to hit one into the right field stands.”
Stewart listened to part of that instruction - just not the whole thing. He went deep to start the inning, then Francona added with a grin, "He never listens."
The home run was only the latest proof that Stewart’s first season has been a massive one for Cincinnati. He’s hitting .257/.336/.484 with 25 homers, 87 RBI, 23 doubles and 12 stolen bases.
Those 87 RBI are second in all of baseball and lead all rookies. He also ranks 12th in Major League Baseball in home runs and 35th in OPS at .820.
The RBI pace is the number that really jumps off the page. Stewart is only 14 away from passing Jim Greengrass for the Reds’ modern-day rookie RBI record of 100, set in 1953.
The all-time rookie RBI mark is 104, set by Bug Holliday in 1889. At his current rate, Stewart is on track to blow past the club record, with 48 games still left for him to chase down Frank Robinson’s home run standard too.
He’s already piled up a few other milestones along the way. In July, Stewart had the most RBI by any rookie in Major League history with 84 through July, a mark that dates back to 1920. He also set the Reds’ rookie record for home runs before the All-Star break with 19 and became the fastest Reds rookie to reach 50 RBI.
For the Reds, the payoff from Stewart has been huge. He was selected as a competitive balance pick in 2022 after the team extended a qualifying offer to Nick Castellanos, who signed with Philadelphia that offseason and gave Cincinnati the draft pick. Stewart had been committed to the University of Miami before choosing to sign with the Reds, and at 22, he’s already making a real imprint on the lineup.
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