A Star in the Making: Sal Stewart Shining Bright in 2025

The road has been, frankly, not so long and not so troublesome for Sal Stewart, or at least he would make it appear. The youngster makes success seem like second nature with his easygoing persona, competitive edge and sharpened offensive tools. Since entering the Cincinnati Reds system in 2022 with through-the-roof expectations, the 21-year-old has steadily progressed to become one of baseball’s most highly-touted prospects, drawing widespread attention and becoming a fan favorite of Reds country before even suiting up for the big club.

On his way to Triple-A Louisville, Stewart has left behind him a road of destruction stretching back to Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida. He made high school ball seem like child’s play, sporting a .521 average with 26 doubles and 26 home runs in 60 games across his junior and senior seasons, priming himself for professional showcases and elite collegiate recruitment. Stewart eventually committed to Vanderbilt University, one of the premier athletic and academic schools in the nation. Embracing the essence of Nashville, he had his commitment photoshoot on Broadway in the heart of Music City, cowboy hat and all. Just eight months later, after his senior season, Stewart heard his name called as a first round pick in the 2022 First Year Player Draft, the 32nd overall selection by the Reds. Stewart was faced with the decision of keeping his commitment or signing with the Reds.

“It was pretty easy, honestly,” said Stewart. “I always wanted to be a first rounder, and when they made that call, it was an easy decision for me. The Reds are a storied franchise and it was a great opportunity for me.”

Done deal. Stewart hit the ground running, immediately flexing hitting prowess well beyond his years. He posted an .819 OPS in 88 games with Single-A Daytona to kick off his first full professional season in 2023, prompting a promotion to High-A Dayton, where he finished off his age 19 season with a .291 average and .397 on-base percentage with the Dragons. He progressed to an .845 OPS, again with an OBP approaching .400, in his second professional season, spent entirely with Dayton.

Naturally, Stewart opened 2025 with a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga, entering as the Reds’ number three prospect, number 83 in all of baseball. A torrid first half of the season, which saw Stewart lead the Southern League in batting average at .306 and rank in the top 10 in a number of other categories, earned the Miami native a promotion to Louisville, where he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s slashing .315/.401/.654 with a 1.055 OPS through his first 35 games at the Triple-A level, an impressive line for any ballplayer, especially a youngster who won’t celebrate his 22nd birthday for another 14 weeks.

Stewart has provided a much-needed jolt to a Bats offense that has struggled to find consistency throughout the season. Twenty-four extra-base hits, an International League-leading total since his Triple-A debut on July 18, have made Stewart a formidable force in the Louisville lineup, consistently hitting in the middle of the order while playing around the infield. Back in Nashville on August 23, Stewart clobbered a 460-foot home run to left field, the longest homer by a Bat this season by a full 20 feet. The blistering five weeks he has spent with Louisville have drawn ample attention from the Cincinnati faithful and rival fans alike, and amid the hype, Stewart remains humble and honed in on the goals he has put in place.

“I’m just focusing on getting better,” said Stewart, who is currently riding a 19-game on-base streak, during which he is hitting .343 with 14 extra-base hits and 20 RBI. “I have a great support system in my family and everyone around me, so they’ve helped me continue to stay focused and continue to improve.”

SAL STEWART SLAM💥 pic.twitter.com/SH2WnBJntK

— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) August 23, 2025

Stewart’s cachet and impressive first half with Chattanooga bought him a ticket to Atlanta for the All-Star Futures Game during Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week, an experience that he reflects on fondly with acknowledgement to his faith and what it means to represent the Reds.

“It was great, I wanted to make sure that they were represented the right way,” said Stewart, now the number one prospect in the Reds organization. “It was a great experience, but I always knew that it wasn’t my end-all-be-all here this season. I want to make a push to the big leagues, so I’m still focused on my goal.”

While the Reds are locked in the heat of the National League playoff race, many fans anxiously await Stewart’s arrival in Cincinnati. His status as a fan-favorite undoubtedly comes from his excellent play on the field, but has also been nourished in Stewart’s past involvement with RedsFest, an annual two-day winter fan festival that includes opportunities to meet current players, greats of Reds past, and organizational prospects vying for a chance to suit up for Cincinnati. Making that final jump is at the top of Stewart’s list.

“Oh man, it means everything to me. I’ve been working my whole life for this, and it’s right in front of me. I see a lot of playoff appearances in the future, and I know what I can bring to the table. I am confident in what I do and who I am, and when that time comes, I’ll be ready to go out and play to win.”

A true team-player in every sense of the word, Stewart has embraced positional versatility since joining the Bats, tallying 22 starts at his natural spot at third base, but also making 11 starts at second base and even two at first. In a win against Columbus on Tuesday night, Stewart turned an unassisted double play at first base in the top of the ninth, leaping to catch a line drive and quickly stepping on the bag.

Man can do anything pic.twitter.com/aRJM7FYy2o

— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) August 27, 2025

Development at multiple positions is something that Stewart acknowledges as an important part of his road to the big leagues.

“I’ve played third my whole life, but the team asked if I’d be willing to play other positions, and I told them I’d do anything for the organization. They took a chance on me in the draft when no other team wanted to, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes, whether that means playing first, second, third, wherever.”

Another part of Stewart’s appeal as a ballplayer is the swagger and passion with which he plays the game. He wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to crack a big smile on the field every once in a while.

“I just play to win. My emotions are in the game, and whatever happens, happens, but I always play with a chip on my shoulder. A lot of people doubted who I was as a player, so I always use that as fuel.”

Stewart’s charisma especially shows when rounding the bases on home runs, when he can be seen pumping his fist and pounding his chest as he takes his trot. As he rounds third base, he has been greeted by Bats coach Julio Morillo, and the two play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, a tradition that dates back to the Arizona Complex League, where Stewart started his career in 2022.

“As a third base coach, you get to personalize the home run celebrations as they go around third base,” said Morillo. “He came to me and said ‘you know what we’re gonna do? We’re gonna do rock-paper-scissors.’ I say okay, that’s what it is, so we did it in Arizona and we did it in Daytona the following year.”

After a short break while Stewart moved on to Dayton and Chattanooga, the celebration made its comeback when Stewart joined the Bats, but it took a reminder from Morillo.

“When he hit his first homer here this year, he kind of forgot about it,” said Morillo. “I said ‘what happened? I don’t coach you for a year and you forget?’ He said ‘my bad,’ so we’ve started doing it again this year, and it’s been fun. I told him whenever he goes to the big leagues, he can do it up there.”

Stewart had Morillo’s number as the tradition got underway, prompting Morillo to go back and watch old tape of their rock-paper-scissors battles at third to pick out patterns and Stewart’s preferred choice. Sal’s go-to?

“Scissors. All the time,” said Morillo with a grin. “So I go rock.”

Morillo served as Stewart’s skipper with Single-A Daytona in the first part of 2023, managing a then-teenage Stewart and working to help the former first-rounder flourish. Two years later, they are back together, and Morillo claims that when it comes to Stewart’s development, less is more.

“He’s just being him, and I think that we as an organization, coaches and people around him have allowed him to be who he is, and I think that has been a big part of him adapting to what the Reds want him to do.

“For Sal, it doesn’t matter if he’s raking or not, even though he hasn’t had many struggles here in the minor leagues. He was always the same person. Always a good teammate, an exceptional competitor, he wants to win every single game. That’s something that makes me very proud of him.”

The familiar faces of Morillo and fellow-21-year-old top prospect Héctor Rodríguez have made Stewart’s transition to Louisville a seamless one, with he and Rodríguez now stalwarts toward the top of the Bats lineup. The two made their Triple-A debuts together on July 18 after leading Double-A Chattanooga to a Southern League First Half North Division Title.

“It’s been great going up with somebody that you’re cool with and that you can talk to everyday,” said Stewart. “He’s a great player, and Reds fans should be really excited about what he can do.”

Louisville has experienced its fair share of roster shake-ups in the second half of the season, and with September callups looming, the final few weeks of the 2025 campaign are anything but certain for the Bats. It’s safe to say, though, that Stewart hasn’t lost his groove, and he’s going to keep on hitting, wherever that may be.

Adhering to his routines and trusting the skillset that has gotten him all the way to the doorstep of the show, Stewart keeps it simple while never losing sight of his dream.

“Everything I want is right in front of me.”