CLEVELAND – Nobody is more frustrated by Sal Stewart’s three-week slump than Sal Stewart.
Just ask the Cincinnati Reds rookie’s bruised and fractured helmet that he slammed to the ground after popping up to center with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning of this weekend’s series opener in Cleveland.
The show of emotion is not new for the 22-year-old Stewart, whose energy and transparent body language are parts of his charismatic game.
But the slump is. And until the Guardians switched starting pitchers to throw a lefty at the Reds in the second game of the series, manager Terry Francona had decided to give Stewart mental breather ahead of the finale.
As it was, Francona, who has stuck with the youngest guy on the team as his cleanup or No. 3 hitter since the outset of this playoff-minded season, had only one message for Stewart right now when it comes to letting his frustration show: Never let ‘em see you sweat.
“I saw what you saw. He wears it on his sleeve pretty good,” Francona said. “You see him slam his bat down and stuff. I don’t particularly care about that part. I just tried to explain to him the less the other team knows that you’re frustrated, the better.
“You don’t want to take away what makes guys good.”
Good is an understatement for the way Stewart burst on the big-league scene last September, hitting, walking and slugging all the way to a playoff start against the Dodgers in October — then picking up where he left off to earn National League rookie of the month honors in April.
But after that torrid start, pitchers have been busting him inside, expanding the zone and striking him out 17 times in 18 games through Friday, holding him to just 11-for-73 (.151) hitting with one home run. And at least one cracked helmet.
“It’s frustrating,” Stewart said, “but at the same time if I want to lead a team as I grow older and I want to be who I think I can be, that can’t happen. I’ve got to control my emotions sometimes. But it’s just who I am. I wear it on my sleeve good and bad. It makes me who I am.
“Things are going to change,” he added. “I promise you, things are going to change. I feel like I’m getting close to who I am. And I’m going to be back. And when I’m back, I’m going to hit the ground running. I’m confident in that.”
And after a quick conversation with Francona and getting a reprieve on that day off, Stewart immediately drew a two-out walk in the first inning and stole second (now 10-for-10 on steal attempts).
Later, with two outs in the fifth inning, he worked the count to 3-2, then walked with the bases loaded to force in a run. Spencer Steer followed with a two-run double off the wall.
He said he had his own message for Francona before the game:
“I told him today, ‘Thanks for sticking with me,’ “ Stewart said. “I’m young. A lot of managers would be like, ‘We’ve got to make a move or make a quick and rash decision.’ And he’s penciled me in, in the middle, and he has full confidence in me. A part of my frustration is letting him down. Letting my team down. I want to win.”
As much as Stewart might look frustrated as he deals with the inevitable valley in his first full season in the majors — just his third month of big-league experience — he seems to have a handle on what pitchers are trying to do with him. And he has leaned on his hitting coaches and bench coach Mike Napoli.
“He’s just kind of in-between a little bit right now,” said Francona, who still seems to see the mature-for-his-age hitter when he talks about him and clearly isn’t making any “rash” judgments.
“He’s a young kid that’s hitting right smack in the middle of the order,” said Francona, who watched Stewart provide most of the Reds’ offense during an 18-9 start before his slump. “And it shows you what they (think). They still walked him (intentionally in Friday’s ninth inning). He’ll be OK. He’s too good a hitter. He’s OK.”
Said Stewart: “I’m not gonna let 18 games or however long this bad stretch is change who I am. … I’ve got to go back to controlling the zone and controlling who I am.
“We’ll talk in two months at the break, and we’ll look up, and we’ll be like, ‘All right, he knew what he was doing.’ “
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Frustrated’ Sal Stewart vows pitchers soon will pay like helmet did
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
