Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers and Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds were officially named the 2026 American League and National League Rookies of the Year on Monday night. The announcements were made during the Baseball Writers Association of America awards week, recognizing the top performers from the 2026 regular season.
McGonigle secured the American League award with a dominant showing in the voting. He received 28 of the 30 available first-place votes, accumulating 204 points out of a possible 210. His closest competitors were Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox, who finished in second and third place, respectively.
In the National League, Stewart defeated Carson Benge of the New York Mets and JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the honor. Stewart captured 20 of the 30 first-place votes. His victory highlighted a player who excelled in traditional power metrics while also contributing in other areas of the game.
Because both McGonigle and Stewart accumulated a full year of major league service time during the 2026 campaign, their respective clubs will receive a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick in the 2027 MLB Draft. This rule rewards teams that integrate young talent into their starting lineups for a significant portion of the season.
The annual awards, which also include categories for Manager of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP, are voted on by 30 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. The voting body consists of two members per MLB city in each league. Since votes were submitted before the postseason began, only regular-season statistics were considered in the final tallies.
Stewart's case for the award was built on historic offensive production. He appeared in all 162 games for the Reds, finishing with a .263 batting average.330 on-base percentage, and .457 slugging percentage. His 126 OPS+ rating was accompanied by 25 doubles, 32 home runs, 112 runs batted in, 87 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases. Stewart joins an exclusive group of only 15 rookies in history to record at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a single season.
His competitors in the National League also posted strong numbers. Benge, a 2024 first-round draft pick, made the team out of spring training and hit .282 with 20 home runs and 22 steals in 4.3 WAR. Wetherholt, who benefited from strong defensive metrics, posted 4.5 WAR in 139 games with a .242 average, 17 home runs, and 14 steals.
McGonigle's performance was equally impressive, marking a stellar year for the former first-round draft pick. He broke camp with the Tigers and remained productive throughout the season. He finished with a .278 average.376 on-base percentage, and .430 slugging percentage, resulting in a 126 OPS+. His stat line included 28 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, 97 runs, and 12 steals.
Beyond his hitting, McGonigle contributed 7.1 WAR, which led all American League position players. He was selected as an All-Star and demonstrated excellent defensive skills and baserunning. The Pennsylvania native, who spent most of the season playing at age 21, also drew 95 walks against 100 strikeouts. A few weeks after his debut, he signed an eight-year contract extension worth $150 million.
The losing candidates in the American League were both pitchers. Messick finished second with a 12-9 record, a 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 193 strikeouts in 186 ⅓ innings. He remains a top-three finalist for the Cy Young award. Tolle finished third with a 9-6 record, a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts in 148 ⅔ innings.
