Sunday Notes: When It Comes to His Craft, Sal Stewart Lets His Bat Do the Talking

Sal Stewart is a frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year honors. A formidable presence in the middle of the Cincinnati Reds lineup, the 22-year-old corner infielder has bashed 31 home runs and put up a 121 wRC+. Moreover, he leads all MLB hitters with 106 RBIs. Per the team’s press notes, Ted Williams (144 in 1939) and Walt Dropo are the only rookies to lead the majors in RBIs since 1920. Stewart’s ability to square up baseballs far exceeds his wordiness when discussing the art and science of hitting — at least that was the case when I talked to him prior to a recent game at Wrigley Field. Entertainingly demonstrative when interacting with teammates in the clubhouse prior to our conversation, he was far from expansive when responding to questions about his craft. “I’m kind of always tinkering and trying to find what’s best,” Stewart replied when asked how he’s grown as a hitter since entering pro ball in 2022 out of a Miami high school. “But for the most part, I have the same swing I’ve had since I was 12 years old.” The burgeoning star told me that he still has the same offseason hitting coaches who helped him hone his right-handed stroke in travel ball. As he explained, “I trust my people and stick with my people.” Ditto training methods. He doesn’t hit off of a Trajekt, preferring instead to follow his established routine of “doing some tee stuff, some flips. Drills that I know work for me, and prepare me for the game.” His approach when he steps up to the plate? ‘I just always try to be on the fastball,” Stewart stated. “I try to be on time with that. 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I did so with Stewart, and his response came after a pregnant pause. “I’m a hitter who can do a lot of things,” Gently prodded to say more, he allowed that he is “a hitter who has power.” My asking if he watches other hitters to see how they are approaching specific pitchers elicited a response that, while likewise unforthcoming, was perfectly reasonable (not that his others weren’t; I was simply hoping for more given his emergence as one of baseball’s best with the bat). It should also be concerning for opponents going forward. “It’s hard, because those hitters know what works for them, and you need to figure out what works for you,” said Stewart. “And I’m obviously still learning. I’m still getting better.” ——— RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS Alan Trammell went 16 for 39 against Dave Stewart. Shannon Stewart went 25 for 60 against Andy Pettitte. Ira Flagstead went 11 for 21 against Lefty Stewart. Bud Stewart went 7 for 17 against Satchel Paige. Minnie Minoso went 7 for 8 against Bunky Stewart. ——— Which opposing team has most impressed you this season? A handful of managers have answered that question in recent Sunday Notes columns, and today we’ll hear from Seattle’s Dan Wilson. “I guess I would go with either the Dodgers or the Brewers,” replied the Mariners skipper. “They are probably the two teams that have stuck out for me. In terms of the Brewers, they have such an identity of who they are and how they play. They play hard. They’re also a team that uses the whole field; they hit the ball where it’s pitched. They have guys in their lineup who can hit the ball out of the ballpark, but they’re going to push the envelope in a lot of different areas. And they certainly don’t hurt themselves defensively. They’ve also got some guys who can really throw. It’s a team that plays a brand of baseball, and they bring that every day.” The Mariners played the Brewers recently, losing two of three games in Milwaukee from August 18-20. Bookending a 7-5 Seattle win were a 7-4 defeat and a 22-0 demolishing. Wilson’s club also lost two of three to the defending World Series champs, with those games being played in Los Angeles at the end of July. “The Dodgers are just a good team,” Wilson told me. “They have very few holes. When you’re up against that, you have a real challenge.” ——— Torey Lovullo named the Chicago Cubs when answering my most-impressed-with question. In explaining why, the Arizona Diamondbacks manager cited how well-prepared Craig Counsell’s club is, including how the players know their roles. I recently told the Cubs manager what his contemporary had said, then proceeded to ask him how those attributes are formed and put into practice. “You’re trying to prepare your players as best you can,” Counsell replied. “You try to create players who are equipped to do certain things [and] try to fit them to what your needs are as a team. You try to take advantage of the strengths of your team and enhance them. We have a group that can watch baseball video of situational plays for half an hour and won’t ask out of the meeting. That’s just who they are. They can get into the weeds pretty hard on that stuff. You try to take advantage of that, and you try to set a pretty good standard to keep guys conforming to it.” ——— A quiz: A San Francisco Giants pitcher was charged with a balk when a strong gust of wind blew him off the Candlestick Park mound during the 1961 All-Star Game. Which hurler suffered that infamous indignity? (A hint: a right-hander known as a soft-tosser, he led the NL in saves that same season, then did the same in the AL with the Baltimore Orioles two years later.) The answer can be found below. ——— NEWS NOTES John Balginy called his final Idaho Falls Chukars game this past week, ending a 41-year career in the club’s broadcast booth. An independent league team for each of the past six seasons, the longtime MLB affiliate has been in existence since 1940. Notable alumni include José Canseco, Joe Maddon (manager) Salvador Perez, and Devon White. The Arizona Fall League season starts on October 3, and along with future MLB players there may very well be some future MLB managers. More than 30 former AFL managers/coaches have gone on to lead big-league teams, including Kevin Cash, Terry Francona, A.J. Hinch, Torey Lovullo, Warren Schaefer, and Derek Shelton. A snapshot of this year’s AFL skippers can be found here, and the season schedule here. ——— The answer to the quiz is Stu Miller. ——— Tony Vitello was asked about Rafael Devers when the Giants visited Fenway Park a few weeks ago, and one of the things he said about the erstwhile Red Sox third baseman struck me as especially interesting. “You hate the tinkerer in the cage, where one day he has his hands above his head and the next day they’re at his belt,” San Francisco’s manager opined. “His swing has always been his swing. He knows the swing as well as anybody. The same contest every baseball player is fighting is how many times can you repeat your best swing. There are a lot of variables, but the one thing that stays constant is his setup and his swing.” Following up on Vitello’s reply to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, I asked the first-year manager if Devers takes his A-swing more often than the average MLB hitter. “Yeah, he’ll always tell you that: ‘I’m going to swing hard,’” replied Vitello. “That’s always been his game. And it has kind of always worked for him, too.” Devers has 270 home runs and a 128 OPS over nine-plus MLB seasons. This year’s ledger includes a .258/.339/.519 slash line, 35 round-trippers, and a 134 wRC+. ——— FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Samsung Tigers and KT Wiz are in a close race atop the KBO standings. The former, who are located in Daegu, South Korea, has a record of 71-46-3. The latter, who are based in Suwon, South Korea, have a record of 69-45-3. Sam Hilliard has 32 home runs to go with a .297/.364/.559 slash line and a 138 wRC+ over 511 plate appearances with the Wiz. The 32-year-old outfielder is in his first KBO season after playing for the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves. Min Seok Choi merits another update. The 20-year-old right-hander now boasts a record of 13-4 to go with a 2.69 ERA over 133-and-two-thirds innings with the Doosan Bears. The KBO’s best young hurler co-leads the circuit in wins and has the third-best ERA. Rikuto Yokoyama has recorded 31 saves for NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.14 ERA and a 3.52 FIP over 46-and-a-third frames. Jared Walsh slashed .333/.429/.569 with 15 home runs across 375 plate appearances for the Mexican League’s Charros de Jalisco. The 33-year-old outfielder/first baseman played for the Los Angeles Angels from 2019-2023, and for the Texas Rangers in 2024. The Espoon Teräs captured Finland’s Fat Lizard League championship by beating the Helsinki Devils. Sponsored by the Espoo-based Fat Lizard Brewing Company, the circuit is formally named Baseballin Suomi-sarja. ——— Clayton Campbell has a chance to become the first New Zealand-born player in MLB history. A native of Auckland, the 22-year-old corner infielder/catcher was signed by the Detroit Tigers in December 2021, and he is currently enjoying his most productive professional season. Over 412 plate appearances between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, Campbell is slashing .260/.340/.402 with 10 home runs and a 98 wRC+. While he has Kiwi roots, his formative baseball days actually came Down Under. “I was born in New Zealand, but I was raised in Australia and did most of my baseball there,” Campbell told me earlier this summer. “We moved to Canada for about a year — my dad went to Edmonton to play baseball — when I was around seven [years old]. From there we moved to Australia, which is when I got into baseball.” Campbell has played professionally in Australia’s top league. He suited up for the Auckland Tuatara in 2022-2023 (New Zealand’s lone ABL team has since folded) and for the Sydney Blue Sox in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Campbell did return to Sydney this past offseason, but only to visit family. This time there was no ABL. “I went to Driveline instead, and focused on the training aspects of the game,” Campbell explained. “I hit, did my weight stuff, and the work helped me get better. The biggest thing was working on pulling the ball in the air with backspin. I did some bat-speed training, as well. “I came to spring training with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Campbell went on to say. “The last few years I haven’t really done the best, but this year I feel like I’ve been swinging at the right pitches, taking my walks, hitting for some power, and playing good defense. That’s all I can ask for. I’m just going out there trying to do my best and help the team win.” ——— FARM NOTES Emil Morales leads the minors with 119 RBIs. Ranked 77th on The Board with a 50 FV, the 19-year-old shortstop in the Los Angeles Dodgers system is slashing .298.384/.552 with 26 home runs and a 134 wRC+ over 541 plate appearances between Low-A Ontario and High-A Great Lakes. Morales was born in Spain. Kane Kepley leads the minors with 123 runs scored. Ranked sixth in the Chicago Cubs system with a 45 FV, the 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .245/.428/.415 with 10 home runs and a 131 wRC+ between High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville. Kepley has swiped 62 bases in 68 attempts. Luke Pettitte is 10-for-36 with two doubles and four home runs across 42 plate appearances for Low-A Tampa. Drafted in the eighth round this summer by the New York Yankees out of Dallas Baptist University, the 21-year-old first baseman is the son of erstwhile Yankees and Rangers left-hander Andy Pettitte. Johnny King is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA, a 3.81 FIP, and a 30.7% strikeout rate over 102 innings between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire. Currently the youngest player in the Eastern League, the 20-year-old southpaw is ranked fifth in the Toronto Blue Jays system with a 45 FV. Sebastian Walcott has swung a hot bat since returning to action in mid-July. DHing for Double-A Frisco as he continues to fully recover from elbow surgery, the 20-year-old shortstop in the Texas Rangers organization has eight home runs to go with a .318/.404/.606 slash line and a 153 wRC+ over 151 plate appearances. He ranks 13th on The Board with a 55 FV. ——— Two random obscure former player snapshots: Herb Cobb’s MLB career comprised one game — and one shaky inning — for the St. Louis Browns in 1929. Not only did he surrender four runs to the Detroit Tigers, his stint on the mound began with the following sequence: walk, balk, double, home run, single, balk. He did have some success down on the farm. The right-hander from Pinetops, North Carolina went 20-13 with the Wilson Bugs in 1926, and 14-7 with the Wichita Falls Spudders in 1928. Joe Cobb also had a one-game MLB career, that with the Detroit Tigers in 1918. A catcher from Hudson, Pennsylvania, he pinch-hit for Rudy Kallio and went down on strikes against Cleveland Indians lefty Fritz Coumbe in his lone plate appearance. No relation to Ty Cobb, who batted an AL-best .382 for the Tigers that season, the long-forgotten backstop played for several clubs in the minors, including the Cumberland Colts, Jersey City Skeeters, and Wichita Falls Spudders (with whom he counted Herb Cobb among his teammates). ——— Danae Benites continues to dominate the WPBL. The 24-year-old New York Heights catcher has bashed a circuit-best 11 home runs while logging an otherworldly .552/.597/1.155 slash line in 67 plate appearances. Kelsie Whitmore has gone deep 10 times while putting up a .447/.552/1.128 slash line over 59 PAs with the San Francisco Firebells. The 28-year-old two-way player has taken the mound six times and is 3-1 with a 6.75 ERA over 24 innings. Mo’ne Davis has nine hits in 39 at-bats for the Los Angeles Queens. The 25-year-old outfielder, who scored the first run in the history of the fledgling league, first made a name for herself in the 2014 Little League World Series. ——— LINKS YOU’LL LIKE SBNation’s Joelle Milholm wrote about how the lights shine bright in the inaugural WPBL season. Lindsay Dial delved into the myth of competitive balance at From Seaver to Seattle. At CBS Sports, Julian McWilliams addressed Kristian Campbell and the impact, both positive and negative, that Driveline is having on hitting development. Also at CBS Sports, Mike Axisa explained how home plate umpire Doug Eddings embarrassed himself by telling a pitcher that he needed to adjust the tilt of his cap. Doug Glanville interviewed for the Tampa Bay Rays managerial job 12 years ago. The outfielder-turned-broadcaster wrote about that experience on his Substack (subscription required). The Athletic’s Andy McCullough weighed in on which managers and executives have their jobs on the line this month. ——— RANDOM FACTS AND STATS The Milwaukee Brewers have hit 132 home runs and have a plus-172 run differential. The Cincinnati Reds have hit 191 home runs and have a minus-109 run differential. The Chicago Cubs pitchers have a plus-139 run differential despite their pitchers having allowed a most-in-the majors 215 home runs. The San Francisco Giants have a minus-73 run differential despite their pitchers’ having allowed a fewest-in-the majors 136 home runs. The Detroit Tigers are 19-45 in games that have been decided by two or fewer runs.They are 46-32 in games decided by three or more runs. The Tigers and Houston Astros have each stolen 43 bases and been caught stealing 19 times. The Chicago Cubs have stolen 102 bases and been caught 19 times. Braxton Ashcraft is 14-6 with a 3.49 FIP. Shane Baz is 5-15 with a 3.40 FIP. Chandler Simpson’s .308 batting average is second highest in the junior circuit behind Yordan Alvarez’s .316. The Tampa Bay Rays speedster has 155 hits, including 135 singles. He leads all players in infield hits (36) and bunt hits (14). Carter Jensen became the first catcher in Kansas City Royals history to record a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. The 23-year-old rookie backstop did so on Thursday. Ryan Jeffers recorded his 100th career double earlier this week, making him the sixth catcher in Minnesota Twins history to reach that mark. In front of him on the list are A.J. Pierzynski (106), Butch Wynegar (112), Earl Battey (105), Brian Harper (156), and Joe Mauer (428). The Chicago White Sox swept a double-header against the Detroit Tigers by scores of 2-0 and 15-0 on today’s date in 1905. The Tabbies were held to five hits in the opener, then were no-hit by Frank Smith in the nightcap. On today’s date in 1969, Cesar Tovar homered with a man aboard in the top of the 18th inning to lift the Minnesota Twins to an 8-6 win over the Oakland Athletics. Jim Kaat pitched nine-and-a-third innings of one-run relief for the win. Players born on today’s date include Micheal Nakamura, a right-hander who appeared in 12 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2003, and in 19 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004. A native of Nara, Japan who attended high school in Melbourne, Australia and played collegiately at the University of South Alabama, he recorded 101 saves for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters across the 2006-2008 seasons. Nakamura was inducted into the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame in 2016. Also born on today’s date was Del Bissonette, a first baseman from Winthrop, Maine — he also spent part of his youth in Quebec — who batted .308 while averaging 16 home runs and 95 RBIs for the Brooklyn Robins across the 1928-1931 seasons. He subsequently missed 1932 due to injury, played in just 35 games a year later, then spent several seasons in the minors. Bissonette suited up for clubs such as the Glace Bay Miners, Montreal Royals, and Quebec Athletiques.