CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 23: Sal Stewart #27 of the Cincinnati Reds greets JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeffrey Dean/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Kevin McGonigle in the AL was a no-brainer, so no point in throwing that question out there. But the NL, well… Sal Stewart won, and my question, in its basic form, is whether you would’ve helped or hurt that cause if you were one of the voters.
To me, it was a relatively easy vote for JJ Wetherholt and I don’t think Stewart even had a particularly good season, so my answer is a very easy “no.” If you want a different, much longer examination, Ben Clemens did it here over a month ago. Any specific vote aside, Stewart just didn’t really hit that well considering his home park, and I think arguments beyond his counting stat have to rely on his leverage/men on base splits, which aren’t very compelling to me for this type of award.
Anyway, are you here to make a spirited defense of Stewart, or… not?