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 |
Stewart earned this award through raw power. The 22-year-old clubbed 32 homers, the most among NL rookies, and his 112 RBIs were tops among rookies in both leagues. 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, per Stathead.
The 22-year-old appeared in all 162 games for the Reds while hitting .263/.330/.457.
