Sal Stewart Jr had a stupendous series against the Boston Red Sox to open up the season. The Cuban-American slugger collected seven hits in 10 trips to the plate, swatted three doubles, homered on an occasion, drove in two runs and slashed .700/.769/.1.300/2.069 to earn him Player of the Week in the National League.
The native of Miami, Florida also announced himself as a serious Rookie of the Year candidate in the senior circuit. Stewart debuted with the Reds last September, slashing .255/.293/.545 with five home runs as he helped lead the Reds to a playoff appearance.
The Reds’ top prospect looks like a future cornerstone for the team because of his big bat. In 118 games in the minors he slashed .309/.383/.524/.907 with 20 longballs and 80 runs batted in between AA-AAA. The 2025 Futures Game participant is better for first base on the defensive side of the ball due to his lack of foot speed.
If the South Florida product continues to hit like he started the season he could position himself to become the seventh player of Cuban heritage to win the Rookie of the Year in Major League Baseball history. With the way he is hitting expect Stewart to be given all the opportunity in the world to accomplish this feat.