CINCINNATI -- No moment seemed too big for Reds rookie first baseman Sal Stewart in 2026.
Although only 22, the confident Stewart repeatedly came up big for Cincinnati in run-scoring situations. His ability to rack up RBIs seemed almost instinctual. The statistics, and the accolades that followed, reflected it.
On Monday, Stewart received his biggest acknowledgment of all when he was named the winner of the National League Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America during an awards show on MLB Network and MLB+.
Among ballots cast by 30 members of the BBWAA, Stewart received 20 first-place votes and tallied 170 points overall. He finished ahead of Mets outfielder Carson Benge, who finished with seven first-place votes and 107 points, and Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, who received three first-place votes for 99 points.
Stewart was the only player listed on every ballot. The fourth-place finisher, Mets starter Nolan McLean, appeared on 29 of the 30 ballots.
As he prepared for 2026 during the previous offseason, Stewart felt anything short of winning Rookie of the Year would be a disappointment on an individual level.
“It’s just that I’m confident in who I am and confident in the work I put in and the people around me," Stewart said. "Sometimes when I just say those things, it’s just because I feel it and I mean it. I love to envision things. I felt like I could go out there and I knew what I was capable of and I knew the hard work that I put in in the offseason, and my job was to just go out there, stay healthy and be me.”
The Reds became the fifth Major League franchise to have at least nine Rookie of the Year winners, joining the Dodgers (18), Yankees (10), Braves (10) and A's (9). The previous recipients from Cincinnati were Jonathan India (2021), Scott Williamson (1999), Chris Sabo (1988), Pat Zachry (1976), Johnny Bench (1968), Tommy Helms (1966), Pete Rose (1963) and Frank Robinson (1956).
But Stewart's win came with an extra bonus for the Reds. Cincinnati gained a supplemental first-round Draft pick in 2027 under the Prospect Promotion Incentive, a reward for a club having its top prospect on its Opening Day roster out of Spring Training.
An NL All-Star during his first full big league season, Stewart batted .263 with a .787 OPS, 32 home runs and 112 RBIs while playing all 162 games -- with 161 starts.
Stewart was the first rookie to play all 162 games since Delmon Young of the Devil Rays in 2007.
“The people around my corner, they understand how difficult that is," Stewart said. "Being available to your teammates every single day, that’s something that kind of goes unnoticed at times, but I know my teammates appreciate that. And I want them to know that I’m always there for them. I’ll probably say that’s my biggest accomplishment and the one I’m most proud of.”
Besides first base, Stewart made starts at third base, second base and designated hitter.
Stewart joins the Hall of Famer Robinson (38) as the only Reds rookies to put together a 30-homer rookie year. While setting the franchise rookie record in RBIs, Stewart became the only Cincinnati rookie to enjoy a 30-homer, 100-RBI season and the 14th among Major League rookies.
Like Stewart, each of the previous nine 30/100 players since the Rookie of the Year Award began (1947) have won it. They were Walt Dropo (1950), Ron Kittle (1983), Jose Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Mike Piazza (1993), Albert Pujols (2001), José Abreu (2014), Aaron Judge (2017) and Pete Alonso (2019).
“There’s an art to driving in runs, and people in my corner have instilled that in me," Stewart said. "You can’t win a game if you don’t drive in runs at the end of the day. I feel like that’s an art that leads to winning.”
Stewart led all NL rookies in homers, RBIs, extra-base hits (57) and total bases (285). His 164 hits -- the most by the Reds rookie since Rose's 170 in 1963 -- were tied for second. He was also second in runs scored (87) and third in walks (63).
While Great American Ball Park is viewed as one of the more hitter-friendly stadiums in the game, Stewart actually hit more homers on the road (17) than at home (15). He also showed an advanced hitters' approach the whole year, with a capability to work deep counts and hit to all fields.
Stewart made his debut on Sept. 1, 2025, and appeared in the NL Wild Card Series vs. the Dodgers. But Cincinnati finished last in the NL Central this year with 75 wins.
"This award is great, but at the end of the day, I don't like sitting down watching the playoffs. I want to be playing in them," he said. "That's something [where] I've got to figure out a way to help my team continue to do that."
As he prepared to celebrate with family and friends at home in Miami, Stewart said he believed this was only the beginning. He expected to be returning to the postseason with more team success.
“My career is just getting started. I promise you, this is just a stepping stone, and there’s more to come," Stewart said. “We know what it takes. We know what the expectation is. Losing is not fun. We do this to win. We go out there every day to work hard to win. The fans deserve it. The organization deserves it. Our team deserves it. I’m going to do my part.”