Right now, the only real challenger to Stewart is McLean. The 25-year-old showed a ton of promise across eight starts last season and rolled that success into 2026, pitching to the tune of a 3.06 ERA and 3.60 FIP across his first 27 starts.
Currently, most books have him at +500 odds, but we’ll get to his path later. First, let’s start with Stewart.
All stats were taken prior to play on September 4th.
Sal Stewart’s Success
When Sal Stewart debuted in 2025, you could see the potential in his bat. Although it was only 18 games, Stewart’s five home runs helped prove that the power he grew into during the season in the minors (20 HR) was real. His bat was always advanced for his age, and you knew the power would eventually trend up, but at this rate has been a surprise.
Coming into 2026, Stewart was seen as the offensive “addition” the Reds needed the most.
A middle-of-the-order power bat that could add more juice to a lineup that didn’t have nearly enough. Through 140 games, Stewart has slashed .266/.336/.485 with 31 home runs, 105 RBI, and 12 stolen bases, good for a 120 wRC+. I’d say he’s fit the need quite well.
Now, before we dive in too deep, we must remember these awards tend to favor more “traditional” stats. I typically would not make a point of highlighting a certain player’s RBI total to compare him to other players, but the stat still carries weight with voters.
NL Rookie RankingsHRRBIDoubles OPS Stewart 1st (31)1st (105)2nd (25)2nd (.821)
Stewart is not only leading the league in home runs and RBI amongst NL Rookies, he’s almost lapping the competition. His 31 home runs are 14 more than Wetherholt, who ranks second in the category. Stewart’s 105 RBI is 41 more than TJ Rumfield, who is second.