Sal Stewart’s rookie season just picked up another piece of hardware.
The Cincinnati Reds slugger has been named The Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year after a 2026 campaign that ended with 32 home runs, 111 RBIs and a .787 OPS. He also hit .263/.330/.457, racked up 164 hits, scored 87 runs and swiped 15 bases while giving the Reds a badly needed lift on offense.
It was the kind of debut that turned heads quickly. Stewart cleared 30 homers and 100 RBIs in his first full big-league season, and he added more recognition along the way with his first All-Star nod and NL Rookie of the Month honors in both April and August.
The award makes Stewart the first Reds player to win The Sporting News honor since Jonathan India in 2021. India hit .269/.376/.459 with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs and 98 runs scored that year before later taking home the BBWAA National League Rookie of the Year award as well.
Recent winners of the Sporting News NL award include Corbin Carroll in 2023 and Jackson Merrill in 2024. Carroll finished his rookie year with 25 home runs and 54 stolen bases, while Merrill posted a .292 average with 24 homers and 90 RBIs.
There is a distinction between this honor and the official Rookie of the Year award. The Sporting News award is voted on by players, while the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award is decided by Baseball Writers’ Association of America members, with 30 writers voting in each league. One does not automatically lead to the other.
Stewart is also the favorite for the BBWAA award.
If he wins that one too, he would become the first Red to claim the official award since India and the ninth winner in franchise history. That list includes Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tommy Helms, Pat Zachry, Chris Sabo, Scott Williamson and India.
For a Reds club that needs more offense, Stewart has already supplied a hitter the organization can build around. The next checkpoint comes Monday, November 9, when the BBWAA announces its winners and Stewart finds out whether he’ll add the official National League Rookie of the Year award to his growing collection.
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