Salvatore Maxwell Stewart Jr. was born on December 7th in Miami Florida in 2003. He would attend Westminster Christian High School in Miami. In 91 career games in high school, Sal Stewart would finish with a .488 batting average, .621 on base percentage, 30 home runs, and 121 hits. Coming out of school, Sal was the number 28th player in the nation and 4th at 3rd base. He was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 215 pounds, corner infield prototype.

College Commitment and Draft

Coming out of high school, Sal would commit to Vanderbilt University, but would seek the draft. The 2022 MLB Draft was a very loaded draft. Players like Jackson Holiday, Druw Jones and Elijah Greene were guaranteed top 5 picks. Being ranked so high in his high school class, would Sal Stewart be a first round pick? 30 picks go by, no selection. There were 9 extra picks in this draft. The Cincinnati Reds would select Sal Stewart with the 32nd pick. They received the pick after losing Nick Castellanos in free agency to the Phillies. The Reds’ first round picks in 2022 were Cam Collier and Sal Stewart.

Pro Career

Sal Stewart signed with the Cincinnati Reds for $2.1 million would be assigned to the Arizona Complex League. In 8 games he would hit .292 with 4 doubles. He would walk 4 times and strike out 4 times, a sign of what’s to come. In 2023, he would play in 88 games for Low A Daytona. He would slash .269/.395/.424. He would hit 10 home runs, 19 doubles, walk 66 times and strike out just 59 times. He would earn a relatively quick promotion up to High A Dayton and play in 29 games. He’d hit 2 home runs, slash .291/.397/.391 with an even strike out to walk ratio. In a loaded Reds farm system led by Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, Sal Stewart would be the Reds 9th ranked prospect, 5 spots behind fellow draftee Cam Collier at number 4. In 2024, Stewart would be limited due to some injury. He would only play in 80 games. He still looked very promising. He would slash .279/.391/.454. He’d hit 8 home runs and for the first time in his pro career, he would strike out more than he walked, although narrowly. He’d finish 2024 as the Reds 4th ranked prospect, a 5 position climb and overtaking Cam Collier.

2025 and Beyond

Sal Stewart is turning heads in spring training. He’s still young in his development and still needs more time in the minor leagues to work on some stuff. He’s making solid contact in spring training and working to prove that he belongs on the big league club. He’s been working out with Manny Machado over the last couple of seasons and Manny is impressed. Here’s a quote in an article by Mark Sheldon about his game.

That’s my protégé, I’ve been working with him for like eight years. He’s the best hitter in the Minor Leagues….I know swings.

Sal has shown great improvement athletically, proving that he can play 3rd base. He played mostly 2nd and 3rd last season, I wouldn’t mind seeing him get some time in the outfield as well, it could get him on a faster progression to the big league club. To get that kind of praise from the type of player like Manny Machado, that holds a lot of weight. The Reds have a really strong young core currently at the Major League level and with potential prospects like Sal Stewart, alongside Cam Collier, they will only get stronger. You could potentially see Sal in the Major Leagues around the 2026 season.

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Photo Credits; MLB Pipeline on 𝕏, InsideTheU.com, MiLB.com

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