When Sal Stewart arrived and started producing right away late last season, the Reds had every reason to think they were looking at something special. Now, with his breakout year rolling on, the 22-year-old first baseman is showing that his value goes well beyond the numbers he’s stacking up at the plate.
Stewart’s latest comments gave a window into the mindset driving him, and it came from an unexpected source: an Auburn football video.
“I saw this football video from the Auburn football coach - I love motivational videos and stuff like that,” Stewart told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. “(The Auburn coach) said, ‘There’s a family out there that bought a ticket and drove six hours to come watch you.
You owe it to them to give your best effort.’ I play like that.
I try to give my best effort for the team and for everyone who’s coming to the game.”
That approach helps explain why Stewart has stayed so productive while many rookies hit a wall late in the season. Instead, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year in August, becoming the first Red ever to win that award multiple times.
He’s been just as strong in the second half, hitting .290/.338/.500 with 15 extra-base hits and four stolen bases.
Asked what has allowed him to keep going through the grind of a full season, Stewart pointed first to the people around him and then to his own sense of responsibility.
“The people in my corner have tried to prepare me the best they can,” Stewart said. “It’s really hard to prepare for something like this.
I’m really happy that I’ve played in every game, knock on wood. It’s something I take pride in.
It’s something I want my teammates to know. They know that I’m out here for them.
Sick, tired, feeling hurt, I want to be here every day. If I can suit up, I’m going to suit up.
I owe it to my teammates, and I owe it to everyone around me. We’re all going through this together.”
The production backs it up. Stewart is among the National League’s top rookies in nearly every major offensive category, leading NL rookies with 31 home runs, 106 RBI, 146 hits, 56 extra-base hits and 264 total bases. He also ranks second with 25 doubles, third with an .822 OPS and 58 walks, fourth with a .268 batting average and sixth with a .338 on-base percentage.
For the Reds, the bigger picture is hard to miss. Stewart sits alongside Elly De La Cruz and Chase Burns as part of a young core worth building around. And if his comments are any indication, Stewart isn’t just producing - he’s wired to keep showing up and keep pushing for wins.
In Other News...
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It is the kind of move that rarely grabs headlines, but it matters for a club trying to stay nimble with the schedule tightening up. Cincinnati has gotten plenty of impact from Elly De La Cruz, who continues to rate among the Reds best position players and one of the top shortstops in the league, so the front office can afford to keep building the margins around the roster while the stretch run sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Have A New Ownership Rumor To Watch
The recent sale of the Los Angeles Angels has stirred up a familiar kind of chatter around baseball, and now the Reds have been pulled into it. According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, rival owners believe Cincinnati could be the next club to change hands, a notable bit of speculation for a franchise whose current direction has long been a source of fan frustration under the Castellini family.
For now, there is no official indication the Reds are actually on the market, which is what makes the rumor worth watching rather than treating it as fact. Still, any mention of a possible sale lands with some weight in Cincinnati, where executives have faced plenty of scrutiny and the question of ownership has become part of the larger conversation about where the organization is headed next. [Read more 🡒]