GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Throughout the month of September last year, Sal Stewart got to the ballpark early. He was a rookie playing must-win games for a Cincinnati Reds team that was clawing for a playoff spot, and Stewart was thrown into the fire at first base. He had to learn that position on the fly in the big leagues, so his pregame routine started with extra work in the infield.
About 10 hours later, after the game was over and he was back home, Stewart would pull up YouTube. He’d search, “Pete Alonso scooping.” As a part of the process of trying to learn how to play first base, he’d work late into the night watching film of the best defensive first basemen in the game.
“They worked really hard to get there (in the playoff race in September),” Stewart said. “I didn’t want it to be my fault, why they were losing games.”
What more can you say about the work ethic of this 22-year-old who lost 25+ pounds during the offseason? He made a splash in the big leagues by posting a .839 OPS last September. In his first month on the MLB roster, Stewart delivered huge clutch moments against the Blue Jays, Mets, Cardinals and Brewers.
In Game 1 of the playoffs, Stewart was a catalyst of a dramatic eighth-inning near comeback. With the bases loaded, he drew a walk and passionately flipped his bat. In Game 2, Stewart met the moment in LA and carried the Reds’ offense with two hits and three RBI in the 8-4 loss that ended the Reds’ season.
“He’s a stud,” Matt McLain said. “We all know that by now. He likes that (stage). He’s a competitor. He likes to win. He plays with that fire. That’s really fun to be on the field with.”
At spring training, it’s fun watching Stewart hang out with his teammates. It’s a beloved younger brother dynamic as Stewart works with guys like TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer and McLain.
On the first day of camp, most of the Reds’ top hitters were starting off the competitive portion of spring training by taking live at-bats against flamethrower Chase Burns. Stewart was ready with his helmet on. Friedl told him, “If you’re ready, go.” Stewart led off and worked an unbelievable at-bat that ended with a walk.
As Stewart walked back to the dugout, his teammates used his new nickname to cheer him on.
“Salbert.”
“They say ‘Salbert Pujols,’ I don’t know, they like to mess with me,” Stewart said. “I don’t know.”
Rece Hinds came up with the nickname last year when Stewart was in Triple-A.
“Honestly, I just was coming up with random names with people and add extra letters to their names,” Hinds said. “With Sal, everyone knows the kind of hitter that he is. It reminded me a bit of Albert Pujols. So I called him ‘Salbert Pujols.’”
Hinds says that he has a lot of nicknames for different players. Most don’t stick. So far, this one has.
“Hopefully it can stick through his career, that’s his nickname and I’ll get a little credit for that,” Hinds said.
If your name is in the same sentence with Pujols, you’re doing something right.
“The sky is the limit for Sal,” Jose Trevino said. “He has a special heart. Special character. And a ton of great talent. Untapped talent. Talent we’ve all seen already. The offseason was huge for him. He made it a point to get things done, and he did that.”
The Reds showed everything you need to know about how they view Stewart by calling him up last September to play first base. Stewart totaled 17 innings in his entire minor league career at that position. General manager Brad Meador said, “He shot through the system so fast that we weren’t able to get him first base reps like we probably should have.”
The front office and the coaching staff trusted that Stewart would work hard to figure first base out, and that Stewart’s bat would make up for any limitations at first base. Overall, Stewart’s first base defense was perfectly fine. Defending at that level alone was a real accomplishment.
He made one crushing mistake. The floodgates opened in Game 2 in LA following an error by Stewart. His throw to the pitcher on a routine 3-1 groundout was off-target, which was a turning point in the game.
In the postgame clubhouse in LA last October, there was a general sense of accomplishment for the season the Reds had in 2025. Guys were disappointed about the loss, but excited about what the team was building.
Stewart had a different demeanor. He was absolutely crushed. He put the loss on himself. He says the error still haunts him.
He holds himself to a very high standard. Stewart has already said that a goal for 2026 is to be the NL Rookie of the Year.
His teammates love that confidence.
“He carries himself when he steps into that batter’s box with a lot of presence,” Friedl said. “Very polished. Everyone saw that last year. It’ll be good to see him for a good 162.”
It’s still very early, but Stewart is trending toward being the talk of camp. He’s technically competing for a spot, but he’s the clear favorite to be the Reds every day first baseman. More athletic at 210 pounds this year, he can also play second and third.
A highlight of camp so far has simply been watching Stewart interact with his veteran teammates, who are looking out for him and cheering him on. He’s becoming one of the guys.
“They’ve all treated me like I’m one of them,” Stewart said. “That was really cool to experience. We built relationships that are special. I’m grateful and fortunate for that.”
Recently, Stewart asked Eugenio Suárez if he could shadow him and watch him work in the batting cage. He studied Suárez’s routine, looking for tips he could apply.
Overall at the plate, there’s no big adjustment that Stewart is working on. “I’m confident in who I am,” he said.
Stewart still only has 58 big league plate appearances. Opposing pitchers haven’t adjusted to him yet, and that’s a process that takes place with every young hitter.
“Year 2 is always tough for guys,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “There’s an adjustment to the league that pitching tends to make earlier. He’s cerebral enough. He has enough people around him who are going to help him with that. Where he’s at, he’s mature beyond his years. There will be some challenges at times, but I’m really looking forward to how mature he is and how he handles it.”
The cat and mouse game goes both ways.
“The numbers are the numbers, but I have numbers on them, too,” Stewart said. “It goes both ways. I don’t believe in any of that stuff. It could happen. There are a lot of good players. If it does happen, I have people around me who can help me get out of it. I never think about that. I lace my shoes up just like them. They have info on me, but I have info on them. I can flip that around.”
On top of that, he says, pitchers are going to eventually throw the ball over the plate.
“I’m just confident in who I am,” Stewart said. “There will be ups and downs. Knowing who I am and leaning on the people around me, I’m confident that I’ll be in a good spot.”
The Reds love Stewart’s confidence, and that’s a part of the reason why he was thrown into the fire in the big leagues last September.
He has a chance to be one of the Reds’ best hitters in 2026, and for a long time.
“I’m trying to earn a spot and do whatever I need to do to help the team win,” Stewart said. “Nothing is given. I want to earn whatever I get. I’ll go out there, play hard and do what I do.”