The National League Rookie of the Year race looked like it had settled into a simple duel for most of the season. Sal Stewart’s power against JJ Wetherholt’s all-around game. But Wetherholt’s second-half slide opened the door, and now Mets outfielder Carson Benge is making a real push of his own.
Benge has been on a tear since the All-Star break. He’s batting .319/.369/.504 in the second half and is creeping toward a 20-20 season.
He’s also bringing one of the best arms in right field to the conversation. Even with that surge, though, the award still feels like Stewart’s to lose if the voting comes down to the most consistently outstanding rookie.
Stewart has built a strong case on production that shows up everywhere. He leads all NL rookies in home runs, hits, and RBI. His .808 OPS is tied with Colorado’s TJ Rumfield for the best mark among NL rookies who have appeared in at least 70 games.
The power has cooled some during the summer, but Stewart is still finding plenty of quality contact. Entering play on August 24, he was hitting .299 for the month, which is his best stretch of the season. He’s also stood out against the entire league, not just first-year players, with his 98 RBI leading the majors.
Comparing Stewart, Wetherholt, and Benge side by side isn’t entirely fair, because each brings something different to the table. Stewart is the prototypical slugging corner infielder, and his defense doesn’t get much of the spotlight.
He has also stolen 12 bases this season, which is a surprising number for a player with his profile. Wetherholt, meanwhile, is a middle infielder in the Bobby Witt Jr. mold, someone who can impact a game with his glove, his bat, or his legs.
Benge is starting to look like a Ronald Acuna Jr.-type right fielder.
With the Reds, Cardinals, and Mets fading from the playoff race, team success won’t separate these candidates. That leaves value as the deciding factor, and Stewart has a clear edge there. He has been responsible for either scoring or driving in more than 25% of Cincinnati’s runs this year, a figure that outpaces the other contenders by a wide margin.
He’s also been there every day. Stewart has played in every Reds game this season, and barring a late-season collapse, he should keep the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner label.
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What makes the moment feel so urgent is that patience is not the same thing as trust. Reds fans and outside observers alike have started to talk more openly about the need for real change, not just incremental fixes, if the franchise wants to look like a contender again. Until the organization can show it can build and sustain a better roster and make sharper decisions at the top, every promising stretch will carry the same old burden of doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Have To Make A Brutal Chase Burns Call
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Terry Francona also said Michael Toglia will undergo season-ending surgery for a labrum tear, a reminder of how quickly a season can shift from evaluating talent to managing bodies. For the Reds, the Burns decision looms larger because it is not just about this stretch run, but about how aggressively they want to push a young arm when the warning signs are already there. [Read more 🡒]