Sal Stewart’s name is now on a short list that ought to carry some weight.
The Cincinnati Reds rookie was named a finalist for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award this week, recognition that puts his bat among the best in the National League after a season in which Cincinnati leaned hard on its top two offensive weapons. Stewart and Elly De La Cruz both made the cut, and the Reds were one of just two teams to land multiple finalists. The other pair came from the Tampa Bay Rays, with Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz.
That kind of company matters for a club that spent most of 2026 scraping for offense. Cincinnati finished with the worst batting average in the majors at .229, the lowest on-base percentage at .305, and a 91 wRC+.
Without Stewart and De La Cruz, those numbers would have looked even rougher. Terry Francona moved them to the top of the lineup in the second half, and the switch helped stabilize the order.
The Hank Aaron Award is handed out annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league, and Stewart is one of 10 finalists from the National League. For a player whose rookie year has already drawn plenty of noise, this is another item for the résumé.
Stewart had already picked up Rookie of the Month honors in August before his September production slowed. Even so, he finished with a .263/.330/.457 slash line, 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and a 112 wRC+.
That stat line would usually make a player the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year. This season, though, the race has been tighter, and Stewart’s late-season dip has given skeptics plenty of room to talk. The online debate has been loud enough that some fans have tried to talk him out of the conversation entirely.
Still, the numbers are the numbers, and Stewart is the only rookie in either league up for the Hank Aaron Award. That matters because the award tracks offense, just like Rookie of the Year does. Nine of the last 12 Rookie of the Year winners were position players, with the only exceptions being Devin Williams in 2020, Luis Gil in 2024, and Paul Skenes in 2025.
The argument isn’t going away anytime soon. The Rookie of the Year decision comes next month, and until then, the back-and-forth will keep rolling. When the award is finally announced in early November, Reds fans will either be celebrating or swallowing a hard dose of reality.
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Reds Face A Tough Offseason Decision On One Valuable Trade Chip
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JJ Bleday sits at the center of that conversation. Acquired in December 2025, the outfielder gave the Reds some real production in an uneven year, including a cycle and a career-high 24 home runs, and he still comes with two more years of team control. That combination makes him useful to Cincinnati and appealing to other clubs, which is why his name figures to linger throughout the offseason as the Reds weigh whether to build around him or turn him into a different kind of upgrade. [Read more 🡒]