If there's one thing the Cincinnati Reds as currently constructed are lacking, it's power.
That's part of the reason they brought promising prospect Sal Stewart up to the big league club at the end of last season, just to see if he could provide a jolt.
That was just a cameo, but in the long run, it's also Stewart that the Reds will be counting on to deliver that pop.
Stewart is ranked as the No. 17 prospect in all of baseball on the new top-100 list unveiled by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel on Tuesday. And his best traits, ranked by McDaniel, are his raw power and his ability to get to that power in games.
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"Stewart was the 32nd pick in the 2022 draft out of a south Florida high school after being a notable prospect for almost his entire prep career," McDaniel writes. "The report now reads pretty similarly to how it did then: a gifted hitter with above-average raw power who might be a third baseman. The main difference is that the 55-grade power projections are now giving way to 60 or 65 grades."
Even if Stewart winds up at first base, or DH down the road, his bat is the calling card that matters most to the Reds.
"Stewart is trending toward first base but third base is still a possibility if he can improve his lateral mobility, which it sounds like has been the focus this winter," McDaniel writes. "His hands and arm are enough if Stewart's mobility improves, but he'll likely end up at first base at some point in his career."
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Stewart hit five home runs in just 55 regular season at bats to end last season with the Reds.
He had hit 20 home runs in 118 games between Double-A and Triple-A before his MLB call-up in 2025, too.
The Reds could use that kind of pop in the heart of their lineup, and it'll be up to Stewart to provide it.
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