The Reds should lock up Sal Stewart | Opinion
· Yahoo Sports
The most important decisions a baseball organization makes are not always made at the trade deadline or in free agency. Sometimes they are made by recognizing the players who should become the foundation of the future − and having the conviction to commit to them early.
Visit fish-roadgame.online for more information.
The Reds have reached that moment.
They have a young core that includes Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Sal Stewart. The challenge now is not simply finding more talent. It is identifying which players can define the next era of Reds baseball and building around them.
One player, however, deserves special attention: 22-year-old Sal Stewart.
Stewart has quickly shown why the organization believes he can be part of its future. A third baseman with a disciplined approach at the plate, emerging power and the ability to impact the game in multiple ways, he has also demonstrated qualities that cannot be measured by statistics.
He carries himself with a calm maturity uncommon for a 22-year-old. He brings a professional approach to every at-bat. After difficult losses, he has been willing to face the media instead of disappearing into the clubhouse. And he has displayed the quiet confidence that teammates appear to respect.
Those qualities do not appear in a box score. But they often separate talented players from the players who become the foundation of championship organizations.
Leadership in baseball is not always the loudest voice in the clubhouse. Sometimes it is the player who prepares every day, accepts responsibility and sets the standard for everyone around him.
The greatest Reds teams have always had those players.
The Big Red Machine had Joe Morgan, whose leadership matched his extraordinary ability. The 1990 championship team had Barry Larkin and veterans who understood that professionalism was an everyday expectation.
The best organizations don’t pay players for what they’ve already become. They invest in what they believe those players will become.
The blueprint already exists.
The Atlanta Braves have shown how to identify and secure cornerstone players before their full value becomes obvious. They signed Ronald Acuña Jr. to an eight-year contract when he was just 21 years old. They signed Michael Harris II to an eight-year extension at age 21 after he had played only 71 major league games.
Those decisions were based on more than statistics. They reflected confidence in talent, character, work ethic and the belief that these young players would become the foundation of a winning culture.
Sal Stewart is 22.
If the Reds believe he possesses those same qualities, this is the time to act.
Not four years from now when arbitration begins. Not after he has accumulated the accomplishments that will drive his salary dramatically higher. Not after every team in baseball recognizes what the Reds already know.
A long-term commitment would not guarantee a championship. Baseball offers no guarantees.
But it would demonstrate something just as important. It would show the Reds have a blueprint, they know who they are building around, and they are willing to invest in the foundation rather than merely hope for one.
The Reds do not need another promise about tomorrow. They need evidence of a plan.
Locking up Sal Stewart would be a first step toward showing Cincinnati that this organization knows how to build.
That is how winning organizations are built.
Dennis Doyle lives in Anderson Township and is a member of the Enquirer Board of Contributors.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds should lock up Sal Stewart | Opinion