Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart was named the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year on Monday, earning 20 first-place votes to beat Carson Benge and JJ Wetherholt for the honor.
Stewart was the only player listed on every ballot. Runner-up Benge and third-place Wetherholt were the only others to receive first-place votes.
| Player | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sal Stewart | Reds | 20 | 5 | 1 | 170 |
| 2 | Carson Benge | Mets | 7 | 3 | 12 | 107 |
| 3 | JJ Wetherholt | Cardinals | 3 | 12 | 6 | 99 |
| 4 | Nolan McLean | Mets | 6 | 7 | 70 | |
| 5 | TJ Rumfield | Rockies | 3 | 3 | 49 |
"I told myself, I know this award wouldn't define me. ... Obviously, I told myself that, but as you can hear, we are excited," Stewart said, per MLB Network. "I'm a kid from Miami, and I worked hard for this moment."
Stewart flat-out slugged his way to this award. His 32 homers and 57 extra-base hits led NL rookies and topped freshmen in both leagues with 112 RBIs. He's the 15th rookie (using modern-day rookie eligibility) to put up a 30-homer, 100-RBI season and the 10th since Rookie of the Year was first awarded in 1947, according to Stathead.
The 22-year-old appeared in all 162 games for the Reds while hitting .263/.330/.457. In addition to serving as Cincinnati's everyday first baseman, Stewart showed some defensive versatility by logging over 300 innings at third base and making another eight appearances at second.
Stewart is the ninth Reds player to win Rookie of the Year, joining a group that includes Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Johnny Bench. He's the 10th primary first baseman to be named the NL's top rookie.
Logan Henderson, Bryce Eldridge, Didier Fuentes, and A.J. Ewing all received downballot votes.
