The Overlooked Reason Why Reds Star Sal Stewart is the NL Rookie of the Year

The National League Rookie of the Year race is seemingly going to come down to a neck-and-neck battle between Cincinnati Reds star Sal Stewart and the defensive wizard, JJ Wetherholt, of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently listed Stewart's path to the NL Rookie of the Year award as the most realistic award race for a Reds player to win this season. But it's a close race with Wetherholt.

"A top prospect who produced at every level in the minors, Stewart debuted with a 124 OPS+ and five home runs in 18 games as a September call-up last season," Reuter wrote. "The 22-year-old broke camp this year as the team's primary first baseman, and he leads the Reds in hits (116), doubles (23), home runs (25) and RBI (87), putting him right alongside JJ Wetherholt in the NL rookie race."

Stewart is light-years ahead in terms of offensive production. The biggest statistical difference that favors the two is Stewart's lead in the RBI category. RBIs are often discredited as a valuable statistic because it largely relies on the production of other players ahead of them, but there's a big reason why Stewart's RBIs matter.

Sal Stewart's RBIs Hold True Value For One Big Reason

Aug 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) reacts after hitting a two-run single in the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stewart has 91 RBIs on the season. That's over twice as many RBIs as Wetherholt has.

But the biggest reason that Stewart's RBIs have additional meaning is because he steps his game to another level with runners on base. He's not posting this many RBIs simply because he's given extra opportunities with runners in scoring position. He's posting this many RBIs because he's incredible in the situations that matter.

This season, Stewart is slashing .303/.366/.615 with an OPS near 1.000, 11 home runs, and 71 RBIs in 122 at-bats with runners in scoring position this season. He's also slashing .444/.455/.556 with the bases loaded, .417/.429/.417 with runners on first and third, and .462/.500/.1.154 with a runner on third base.

The easiest way to understand these numbers is the fact that Stewart is simply much better with runners on base and runners in scoring position. When he has a chance to drive runners in, he does it. Wetherholt's OPS is nearly 200 points lower with runners in scoring position than Stewart. Stewart's driven himself in 26 times with 26 home runs. while Wetherholt has 16 home runs.

But Wetherholt's WAR is higher because WAR values second base defense rather highly.

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