He's only 21 years old, but there's already considerable excitement about Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Sal Stewart.
Saturday, Stewart hit a walk-off grand slam in the first game of a doubleheader for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts against the Birmingham Barons.
Stewart's batting average was .407 with an OPS of 1.226 through six games this season with the Lookouts.
In February, Stewart hit a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning of the Reds' Cactus League win against the Dodgers, his first homer in big-league camp.
Many young prospects strike out a lot. Stewart walked more than he struck out in 518 plate appearances between Low-A Daytona and High-A Dayton in 2023. And last season he walked 50 times with just 57 strikeouts in 338 plate appearances for the Dragons.
A wrist injury limited Stewart to 80 games in 2024. Among highlights at Dayton last season: Stewart helped the Dragons to a win against the Great Lakes Loons in June with a two-run, 454-foot home run that broke a 2-2 tie.
Stewart batted .279 with eight homers, 46 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and an OPS of .844. He was named the Reds' minor-league player of the month for May.
What to know about Stewart, who ranks 80th (third among Reds) in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects:
The Reds selected Stewart in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft.
Stewart was a compensation pick for Nick Castellanos departing via free agency.
Stewart was the 32nd overall pick in 2022, out of Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida. Westminster Christian's best-known Major League Baseball alum is Alex Rodriguez.
Stewart has trained with former Red Yonder Alonso and Manny Machado in Miami. Stewart has called Machado one of his closest friends.
The Reds took Stewart's teammate last year in Dayton, Cam Collier, 18th overall in 2022.
Defensively, Stewart split time last season between second and third base.
Stewart played at second base in 36 games (313 innings) in 2024. He played at third base in 33 games (288 innings).
In 2023 at Low-A Daytona, Stewart ...
