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    Sal Stewart (Photo: Doug Gray)
    Photo: Doug Gray

    Cincinnati Reds #7 Prospect: Sal Stewart – Second Baseman

    Doug Gray 15

    After a strong season in 2023 that saw Sal Stewart spend much of his year in Daytona before getting a late-season call up to Dayton, the Cincinnati Reds sent Stewart back to High-A where he joined the Dragons to being 2024.

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    The season began for Sal Stewart by going 0-6 with two walks in the first two games. But on April 7th he went 3-5 and didn’t look back for the rest of April. From that date through the end of the month he hit .328/.442/.516 with more walks than strikeouts.

    May also saw Stewart go hitless in his first two games. He didn’t immediately turn things around from there, though, like in April. Over the first 10 games of the month he hit just .171, but on the 14th he went 4-4 with a double and that helped get things going back in the right direction. From that day through June 8th he had 26 hits, 10 walks, and just nine strikeouts while hitting .347/.422/.533 for Dayton.

    Over the following two weeks, though, the infielder slumped hard. Stewart went just 6-41 (.146)  in 12 games played. That took him through the series in West Michigan. When the next series started up against Forty Wayne things turned around. In his next three series he hit .322 with 11 extra-base hits in 17 games.

    While the Midwest League’s first half of the season was over, that stretch took him into the big league All-Star break where everyone in the minor leagues got a break so the baseball world would focus on the All-Star game. Unfortunately for Stewart, that was the end of his season. He suffered an injury during the break that resulted in a torn tendon in his wrist that he eventually had surgery on – removing the torn tendon.

    For all 2024 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).

    Sal Stewart Scouting Report

    Position: Second Base | B/T: R/R

    Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 215 lbs. | Acquired: 1st Round (2022 Draft) | Born: December 7, 2003

    When Sal Stewart was drafted the focus was on his bat and that’s still the case today. An advanced hitter for his age, Stewart has a strong understanding of the strikezone and has good pitch recognition that allows him to control the zone, walk often, and make plenty of contact.

    Right now he’s more hit over power, but both grade out as potentially above-average at the big league level. He uses the entire field, and in his professional career he’s gone to right field nearly twice as often as he has gone to left field. That may help him carry a higher average, but it’s also likely limiting how much home run power he is hitting for now and into the future if that remains.

    While it’s still the case that Stewart is a bat-first type of player, he took some steps forward in 2024 on the infield. He showed up in better shape in 2024 and that led to Cincinnati deciding to play him at second base more than half of the time that he was in the field. While he’s quite limited at second base and third base, he’s currently playable at both spots even if he’s a below-average defender there. Whether he can remain that as he gets older is another question as he is going to need to stay on top of his conditioning. A step backwards there could mean he has to slide to first base.

    Stats

    Spray Chart

    Video

    Interesting Stat on Sal Stewart

    He beat up on relievers, hitting .295/.429/.508 against them in 122 at-bats. Against starters he hit .266/.357/.411 in 158 at-bats.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    15 Responses

    2. I think you are underselling Sal’s athleticism a little bit. He is a big guy, but he’s also a fluid mover with good footwork and good hands. I thought he played a better 2B than Victor Acosta did. Staying on top of their conditioning is going to be true of just about any player, not just the bigger ones. I think he most likely settles into 3B as Collier moves over to 1B and if he can come on strong in 2025, I wouldn’t completely rule out him making the show at some point this year. He already has very good contact rates and an elite walk rate. Three things need to go right for Sal in 2025 for that to happen.

      1) The wrist needs to be at 100% with no long term affects from his injury
      2) He needs to get to his pull power more on pitches middle and middle in
      3) He needs to maintain his body well and not get overly big

      Noelvi Marte hasn’t exactly instilled the fan base with confidence as the Reds long term 3B, the opportunity is there for someone to fill that void, and I could see that person being Sally Long Balls.

      1. Interesting that you think Stewart can make “the show” sometime in 2025 while acknowledging he must overcome the wrist injury, add power and not grow, and advance from A+ to the big leagues. Just how many guys with all those tools already in place make the jump from A+ to the big leagues the season after an injury shortened A+ season?

        Seems more likely that he needs at least a year in AA/AAA and it is conceivable he starts 2025 in A+ since he only had part of a season there in 2024. 2026 is more realistic as the earliest he sniffs MLB, if he is still a Red by then.

        1. I said if everything went right, it’d be possible, not probable. If any position player is going to make a jump like that this year, my money would be on Sal. Him ending the year in the minors is still the most likely scenario. He doesn’t need to add power, he just needs to learn to turn on more pitches inside and over the middle of the plate. When Sal pulls the ball, it goes far now. He’s going to start in AA this year, a midseason promotion is entirely within the realm of possibility, and once you are in AAA, you are just a particular circumstance away from the show.

        2. Wholly understand Duke’s view, and most years I’d echo it. This season, though, I doubt it will happen since I expect TF will keep them in the race all year, if not making the playoffs. Given that, they won’t want or need to insert a rookie into such an end-of-season role.

          OTOH – if Stewart keeps his BB/K % the same or better, he may become the system’s #1 hitting prospect. Collier may, and will, have the higher ceiling, but Stewart could have very rare strike recognition ability. That gets you to MLB quickly, and keeps you there a long time, even if not as a star.

      2. As second base goes , he is an excellent third baseman. He plays second similar to India, adequate but not spectacular. when he was injured the team started to play poor and it took a few weeks to adjust to a lineup without him. He has great onfield leadrership qualities.

    3. In person I thought Stewart had the body type and movements of a third baseman. Boy you have to love everything about his hitting approach. His defensive value makes him more valuable than Collier imo.

    4. Really wish they would have kept him at 3B and moved Collier to 1B. Those seem like the best fits for both.

      1. I’m in favor of Stewart and Collier platooning 1B/3B in AA/AAA.

        I see zero reason to keep Stewart at 2B. The organization is full of middle infielders, EDLC, McLain, Steer, and Marte on the MLB level, with Arroyo, and Stafura looking like future MLB’ers.

      2. I understand it, and don’t really think much of it, regardless. Collier (and his power) has more value on the field or in a trade as a 3B rather than at 1B. Stewart (and his contact/approach) has more value at 2B/3B than 1B. I actually think it was a good use if their Hi-A year. AA could expose things more. And should. What’s great is, a year after having so little hitting in the upper minors, we have some top ten hitters there with Arroyo, Collier and Stewart, as well as the four OF’s moving up with them. That’s got to be a big sigh of relief.

        1. It felt as though last year was a bad year for Reds minor league hitters. If you look closely it was not as poor as it appeared. With Arroyo back and both Collier and Stewart advancing along with a few others, I hope for a good minor league year and one in which they make some noise rather than subtle improvment.

        2. Agreed Greenfield. Perhaps the prime task for Chattanooga this season is simply keeping everyone healthy and getting 500+ ABs.

      3. Was surprised neither played first base all year. Jose Serrano, who is basically a roster filler, played 15 games at first base yet no Collier there.

    5. Cam Collier and Stewart would be the two position players I would not be willing to trade to the White Soxs for Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet

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