Homecoming to Miami an 'unbelievable' family affair for Reds' star rookie

MIAMI -- When Sal Stewart stepped up to take batting practice on Monday night in his hometown, it felt familiar.

He stood on the on-deck circle at loanDepot park with the same view he once had in 2014, when he was selected for a youth home run derby as an 11-year-old.

“That was a really big deal at the time. Then, I knew that one day we could be sitting here,” Stewart's father, Sal Sr., said.

More than a decade later, the 22-year-old is back, this time as the Reds’ first baseman and MLB Pipeline's No. 19 overall prospect who has become one the hottest hitters on the team, coming into Wednesday’s game against the Marlins slashing .351/.468/.595.

Playing in front of more than 300 family members and friends, Stewart handled mementos after nearly every out that went through him, throwing balls into the crowd throughout the series. And after logging two hits and two RBIs in the first two games of the set, Stewart made a bigger splash for them Wednesday, connecting on a 1-2 changeup from Eury Pérez and drilling it out to left field for a two-run home run.

The homer was Stewart's third home run of the season. His eight career home runs are tied for third-most by a Reds hitter in their first 30 games since 1900, trailing only Aristides Aquino's 14 and Adam Dunn's nine.

While everyone flocked to watch Stewart take batting practice, Sal Sr. took a minute to sit in his seat and soak in the journey that began when he emigrated from Havana, Cuba, as a child.

• How Stewart joined Reds royalty and became youngest since 1900 to do this

“It’s just so much hard work and sacrifices [from] my wife, my daughter,” Sal Sr. said through tears. “He’s just such a good kid. He’s worked hard. He’s done it the right way. So to watch him there [at first base] is just -- this is unbelievable.”

Stewart’s path in baseball started early. By the time he was 2 1/2 years old, he was already immersed in the game while his father helped develop an intramural sports program at St. Brendan School in Miami. One day, Sal Sr. brought his son to a T-ball field before heading to watch his daughter Lindsey’s basketball game. He soon began getting calls to come back.

Wearing a helmet that was too big, Stewart began hitting off a tee. Soon, coaches started tossing the ball, and he kept hitting.

“That was the first time I ever saw him hit the ball and throw the ball,” Sal Sr. said.

From that point on, his mother, Rosy, noticed something else: a mindset that would carry him to the Major Leagues.

“He may have been 10 years old, and if he didn't do well [in a] game, he would make my husband do batting practice after the game. He was like, ‘I didn't do well, I need to get better,’” Rosy said. “He was always striving to get better, either by being a student of the game or by actually playing it himself.

“We knew he had the mentality … a survival skill that in this game you must have, to always tell yourself you're good and you're going to get better.”

It felt weird for the younger Stewart to arrive at the ballpark so early. Growing up, he would often stroll in before games to watch the Marlins. One vivid memory is the ballpark’s former left-field sculpture, “Homer,” which featured colorful marlins, palm trees and an ocean and lit up when a home player hit a home run, complete with water spraying from the sides.

“I'd always tell my dad, ‘When I hit a homer, I want to see it go,’” Stewart said with chills in his arms.

The sculpture has then been relocated to the Marlins Park Art Walk outside the ballpark.

Still, for all the emotion, Stewart remained focused.

“Super happy to be home,” he said. “And I love seeing my family and friends. … But at the end of the day, we’ve got a game to win. And so it's fine and dandy and all, but once we get in between those lines, it's time to go to work and time to win a game.”

Stewart said that while everyone knows he wears Miami on his chest, in his return home, he meant it figuratively.

“[Cincinnati] is my family, but this is where I grew up, so it's in my blood, and everyone knows how much Miami means to me,” Stewart said.

From the stands, his sister Lindsey, who spent years attending weekend games wearing jerseys with their names on the back, took it all in.

“I've always been a big Sal Stewart fan… It’s crazy that we're here right now that I'm watching him in the big leagues. It's been a ride. I was a part of the whole journey and I [could] never be more grateful and thankful that I was able to be,” Lindsey said.

From the dugout, Reds manager Terry Francona also noticed the crowd and the signs with Stewart’s face.

“That's pretty cool,” Francona said. “He was telling me, ‘Five years ago, I [would] come watch games here.’ So that's a neat thing.”

For one night, Miami got to watch one of its own return home.

“Miami is just ingrained in you. It’s who I am,” Sal Jr. said.

And when asked about his first Major League game home Monday, in which he drove in a run with a single in the Reds’ fourth consecutive win, he said:

“Awesome. Everything I dreamed of.”