Baseball America's Disrespectful Ranking of Reds Rookie Sal Stewart Makes No Sense

This is ridiculous.

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Sal Stewart (27) runs to first off a base hit in the first inning between the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart has had an incredible season and should be in contention to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

On Friday, Baseball America's Matt Eddy ranked the top 20 rookies to watch in all of Major League Baseball. Stewart's ranking was so unbelievable that I thought it was a typo.

Eddy ranked Stewart the 14th-best rookie in the league.

"Stewart’s production has dipped after a hot start, but he appears to be hitting into some bad luck," Eddy wrote. "He is a strong rebound candidate, who has banked a lot of production already, including 22 homers and a rookie-best 45 extra-base hits."

Stewart is slashing .255/.334/.477 on the season to go along with 46 extra-base hits, including 23 home runs. Oh, and he leads all of Major League Baseball with 84 RBIs.

Kevin McGonigle, whom Eddy ranked No. 1, owns an .814 OPS and has driven in just 34 runs this season. JJ Wetherholt, ranked No. 2, is slashing .251/.348/.393 with a .741 OPS, which is just 20 points above league average. Wetherholt has been outstanding defensively at second base, but it is hard to justify ranking Stewart 12 spots behind him when you compare what the two have done offensively. Stewart has been one of the most productive hitters in all of Major League Baseball, making the gap between the two rankings difficult to understand.

There is certainly room for debate at the top of the list, but having Stewart all the way down at No. 14 feels like a significant miss.

Stewart Just Wants to Win

Jul 28, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) reacts after hitting a two-run single against the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stewart had four RBIs in Friday night's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stewart's 84 RBIS through July are the most by a National League rookie since 1920.

2026: Sal Stewart - 84 RBIs
1928: Del Bissonette - 83 RBIs
1930: Wally Berger - 81 RBIs
2001: Albert Pujols - 78 RBIs
2019: Pete Alonso - 77 RBIs

While Stewart is certainly proud of his accomplishments, it's not why he plays the game. Reds broadcaster Jim Day asked him about it after the win.

"I mean it's great, but I just want to win."

It's hard not to love Stewart's attitude and it's easy forget he's still just 22 years old. The Reds have a special talent.

You can watch Stewart's full postgame comments with Day below:

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