Sal Stewart entered rare MLB company: Reds rookie reached 30 home runs and 104 RBIs
Sal Stewart continues to turn his first full season in Major League Baseball into one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns of recent decades. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman hit his 30th home run of the season on Saturday, August 29, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, reaching a threshold that, in MLB history, combined with at least 100 RBIs in the same rookie season, had previously been achieved by only a small group of players. According to MLB data, the 22-year-old Stewart became the 14th rookie in the history of the world's premier baseball league to record a combination of at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a single season. Even more importantly for Cincinnati franchise history, he became the first Reds rookie to reach both marks in the same season. At the moment he accomplished the feat, he had 30 home runs and 104 RBIs, and according to official MLB data, those 104 RBIs were the most in the entire league.
Milestone home run came against the Cubs at Wrigley Field
Stewart hit his 30th home run in the third inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs, when he sent a pitch from veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman over the fence in left-center field at Wrigley Field. It was a two-run shot that reduced Chicago's lead at that moment, although the game later turned into a convincing 17-5 Cubs victory. Stewart finished the game with two hits in four at-bats, so his personal historic moment came on an evening that was considerably less successful for his team. After the game, MLB noted that Cincinnati had fallen to a record of 64 wins and 72 losses, which is why the club's focus is increasingly shifting toward developing its core for next season. Stewart, regardless of the team's result, has become the clearest symbol of what the Reds can build their offense around in the future.
His reaction after the game also showed how much the individual achievement remained overshadowed by the heavy defeat. Stewart told MLB that he would probably reflect on the true meaning of the historic accomplishment in greater detail only after the season ended, while immediately after the game his primary focus was the team's result. Manager Terry Francona described his rookie season as outstanding, and teammates in recent weeks have particularly emphasized Stewart's ability to maintain the quality of his performances during a period of the year when young players often begin to feel the effects of the long schedule. According to MLB, Stewart had appeared in all 136 Reds games of the season through August 29, making his offensive production even more impressive in the context of durability. In those 136 appearances, he was batting .265 with an .821 OPS.
Only the 14th rookie in MLB history with a 30/100 combination
The marks of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs are themselves measures of elite offensive production, and when a player reaches them in a season in which he still holds rookie status, the historical list becomes very short. MLB states that Stewart is the 14th rookie to accomplish that combination. Particularly telling is the fact that the last nine players to achieve the feat after the Rookie of the Year Award was introduced in 1947 ultimately won the honor as the best rookie in their respective league. That list includes Walt Dropo, Ron Kittle, José Canseco, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Albert Pujols, José Abreu, Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. Stewart's name now stands alongside players many of whom later became major league stars, although the statistical similarity alone, of course, guarantees neither an award nor a future career comparable to theirs.
That historical context further strengthens his candidacy for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. At the beginning of August, a poll of 30 MLB.com experts gave Stewart and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt 144 points each, with Wetherholt receiving slightly more first-place votes. By the end of the month, Stewart had further improved his offensive numbers, while MLB also listed New York Mets player Carson Benge among the leading candidates alongside him and Wetherholt. The outcome of the voting will nevertheless depend on the entire season and the evaluation of broader contributions, including defense, baserunning and overall value to the team. Stewart's greatest advantage in that discussion at the moment is the amount of offensive production he has generated at only 22 years of age.
First Reds rookie with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs
In Cincinnati Reds history, Stewart has already secured a special place. According to MLB, only one rookie from the franchise before him had reached 30 home runs in a season: Frank Robinson, who hit 38 in 1956. Robinson's season remains one of the standards for debut performances in club history; as a 20-year-old, he batted .290 with 38 home runs, 122 runs scored and 83 RBIs and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Stewart has not yet reached Robinson's club rookie home run record, but he has done something Robinson did not accomplish in his first season - combining at least 30 home runs with 100 RBIs.
Stewart has also already set a new Reds rookie record for RBIs. The day before his 30th home run, he surpassed the total of Jim Greengrass, who recorded 100 RBIs as a rookie in 1953. After Saturday's game, Stewart stood at 104, meaning he had raised the record another four RBIs above the previous mark, with more than a month of the regular season still remaining. MLB also points to another historic possibility: if he finishes the season as the overall MLB leader in RBIs, he would join Ted Williams in 1939 and Walt Dropo in 1950 as the only rookie players to accomplish the feat. Such a scenario is not guaranteed in advance, but the fact that he was atop the MLB standings at the end of August shows how far his season has exceeded normal expectations for a player in his first full year.
Another indication of how much Stewart's power has changed Cincinnati's offensive picture is the fact that he became the first Reds player with 30 home runs in a season since 2021. That year, Joey Votto, Nick Castellanos and Eugenio Suárez all passed the mark. For a club searching for a new long-term identity in its lineup, Stewart's combination of contact, power and run-producing ability represents considerably more than an interesting rookie record. It gives the Reds a player around whom they can construct the middle of their batting order and plan the distribution of positions in the coming seasons.
Offensive production that separates him from most rookies
Stewart's performance is not limited to two round numbers. According to MLB, after the August 29 game he led National League rookies with 138 hits, 54 extra-base hits and 252 total bases. He was also tied for the lead among NL rookies in OPS, ranked second in runs scored with 78 and third in walks with 57. Official MLB statistics at that point listed his 30 home runs as the fifth-best total in the National League among all players, not just rookies, while his 104 RBIs ranked first. Such a profile shows that Stewart is not merely collecting occasional powerful hits, but maintaining production across a large number of games and different situations.
Particularly interesting is that his performance did not decline late in the summer. MLB recorded a streak of 13 consecutive games in which he reached base, the second-longest such streak of his season. During that stretch, he had 17 hits in 53 official at-bats, with four home runs and 13 RBIs. His numbers over the final 30 games through August 29 further confirm that consistency: official MLB splits show a .303 batting average, eight home runs and 25 RBIs over that interval. His ability to maintain quality in August after several months of an everyday schedule is precisely one of the reasons coaches and teammates have described his season as unusually mature for a rookie player.
Francona had emphasized during the season that Stewart does not try to force power before establishing quality contact. The Reds manager pointed out that the young hitter uses the entire field and that his home runs come as a consequence of a sound approach rather than being the sole objective of every plate appearance. That description fits well with Stewart's reputation dating back to the minor leagues, where he was known for discipline in the strike zone and the ability to make quality contact. Such a profile is especially valuable in MLB, where pitchers are capable of quickly punishing young players who rely solely on raw power. Stewart's season so far shows that he has made the transition from top-prospect status to everyday major league hitter faster than is customary.
From the 32nd draft pick to the All-Star Game in four years
Stewart's rise did not come completely unexpectedly. Cincinnati selected him with the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft after his high school career at Westminster Christian School in Miami. The Reds took him as a compensatory first-round selection, and club reports from the beginning emphasized a rare combination of hitting feel and power potential. He progressed through several levels of the minor leagues and during 2025 played for the Chattanooga Lookouts and Triple-A Louisville Bats. In September of that year, Cincinnati called him up to MLB for the first time.
He made his debut on September 1, 2025, against the Toronto Blue Jays at Great American Ball Park. According to MLB, Stewart had one hit in three official at-bats in his first appearance, and the Reds won 5-4 thanks to Noelvi Marte's walk-off hit in the ninth inning. Although he had already gotten a taste of the highest level, he retained rookie status for 2026, allowing his first full season to count as an official rookie campaign. Before his breakthrough, MLB Pipeline regarded him as one of the best prospects in Cincinnati's system, and the beginning of 2026 quickly showed that his developmental path would be faster than more conservative projections had suggested.
His first major individual recognition arrived after March and April, when MLB named him the National League Rookie of the Month. According to the league's official announcement, he became the ninth player in Reds history to win that monthly award. An even bigger breakthrough followed at the beginning of July: Stewart and pitcher Chase Burns were selected to the National League team for the All-Star Game through the players' vote. For Stewart, it was the first All-Star selection of his career, only ten months after his MLB debut. That detail illustrates well the speed with which he went from a promising minor league player to one of the most recognizable young hitters in baseball.
Rookie of the Year race now has a powerful historical argument
The Rookie of the Year Award is not decided on the basis of a single statistical threshold, but by entering the 30/100 club Stewart gained an argument that his main competitors cannot replicate in the same season. After his 30th home run, MLB specifically highlighted the historical streak according to which all nine rookie players who had recorded 30 home runs and 100 RBIs since 1947 won Rookie of the Year. Among them are future Hall of Famers such as Mike Piazza and Albert Pujols, as well as more recent stars such as Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. That does not automatically make Stewart the award winner, but he has reached a combination that voters can rarely ignore.
On the other hand, the competition remains serious. Wetherholt has offered a broader package during the season that includes defense and baserunning, while Benge is also having a strong all-around season for the Mets. In MLB.com's August poll, Stewart and Wetherholt were completely tied in total points, showing how differently offensive dominance and overall value across multiple aspects of the game can be assessed. The final several weeks of the regular season therefore will not only be an opportunity to increase Stewart's numbers, but also a period in which voters' final impressions will be shaped. His case now, however, carries statistical and historical weight that it did not have at the beginning of the summer.
Cincinnati already sees Stewart as a foundation of its future lineup
The Reds do not enter the end of August in a position that promises a battle for the top of the National League, but Stewart's development gives the season long-term value. After the loss to the Cubs, MLB assessed that, despite open questions surrounding the shape of the roster for 2027, there is almost no doubt that the offense will be built around Stewart. His ability to play first, second and third base further increases roster flexibility, although he spent most of 2026 at first base. Official MLB splits through the end of August recorded 91 appearances at first, 45 at third and eight at second base, with some games overlapping because of position changes during contests.
For a player born in Miami on December 7, 2003, who is not yet 23 years old, a season with 30 home runs and 104 RBIs already represents an exceptional foundation. Enough time remains in the regular season for him to increase both totals, approach Robinson's club rookie record of 38 home runs and potentially retain the MLB lead in RBIs. Whether he also wins Rookie of the Year will depend on the final weeks and the voting, but his entry into the historic club has already been confirmed. After his 30th home run at Wrigley Field, Sal Stewart is no longer merely one of the most interesting rookies of 2026, but a player whose season is already being compared with the rare rookie campaigns preserved in MLB history.
Sources:
- MLB - game report from Cubs-Reds, Stewart's 30th home run, statistical achievements, historical context and statements from those involved (link)
- MLB - official Sal Stewart profile and statistics for the 2026 season, including league rankings and positional appearances (link)
- MLB - announcement of Stewart and Chase Burns being selected to the 2026 National League All-Star team (link)
- MLB - report on Stewart's MLB debut on September 1, 2025, against the Toronto Blue Jays (link)
- MLB - official announcement of the National League Rookie of the Month Award for March/April 2026 (link)
- MLB - August expert poll on the Rookie of the Year race in both leagues (link)
- Cincinnati Reds / MLB - history of the club's home run records and Frank Robinson's 1956 rookie performance (link)
- Cincinnati Reds / MLB - club draft history, including Stewart's selection as the 32nd player in the 2022 draft (link)