The MLB award season started this week with the announcement of the Rookie of the Year winners. The finalists for both leagues included many impressive players, including Red Sox starting pitcher Peyton Tolle, Mets outfielder Carsone Benge, and Cardinals shortstop J.J. Wetherholt. After the votes were counted, the postseason favorites to win the awards claimed the prizes as Reds infielder Sal Stewart and Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle were named the NL and AL Rookie of the Year, respectively.
Since Stewart and McGonigle won the Rookie of the Year Awards, they are now eligible for the Bowman Chrome Red Rookie Redemption buyback. Collectors lucky enough to have their Red Logo rookie cards now have options. They can turn the cards in now for $100 in Fanatics FanCash or hold onto them in the hopes that either one will win MVP awards or perhaps end up in the Hall of Fame. In this article, I’ll be discussing whether to flip or keep the Red Rookie cards of Stewart and McGonigle. I’ll focus on the MVP and Cy Young escalators and how likely each player is to attain them.
Sal Stewart
Sal Stewart came into the seasonwith a lot of hype after a strong showing towards the end of the 2025 season and into the 2025 MLB postseason. Heading into the season, Stewart was not considered the favorite to win the award over players like Nolan McLain or J.J. Wetherholt, but he was certainly considered a contender. However, thanks to a year that included an All-Star appearance and most likely a Silver Slugger Award, Stewart was able to claim the prize.
If you’re a collector who has a red logo rookie, in terms of whether or not someone should redeem or keep Stewart cards, I lean towards cashing the card for the guaranteed $100 in Fanatics FanCash. While I expect Stewart to continue to post All-Star level numbers, I think he will fall short of an MVP campaign. One reason why is that Stewart seems close to a finished product at this point.
While his numbers may have some room for improvement, I don’t expect them to jump too much higher. Another factor pointing towards the redeem over hold is the competition for the MVP in the National League. As long as Shohei Ohtani is still playing for the Dodgers, it will be his award to lose.
Kevin McGonigle
Unlike Stewart, Kevin McGonigle was considered to be more of a favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year award heading into the season. This was owed mainly to his rise through the Tigers farm system, where he showed incredible plate discipline to go along with improving power.
McGonigle certainly put many of those traits on display for the Tigers, as he produced an impressive 5.1 WAR and made his first of what will probably be many All-Star teams. After the season, it was all but academic that he would take home the award.
Again, unlike Stewart, I would lean more towards holding onto McGonigle cards instead of redeeming them. I feel McGonigle still has room to add more in-game power as he continues to mature. Also, unlike Stewart, McGonigle does not have to contend with a Shohei Ohtani-type in the AL.
While some might point Aaron Judge as his toughest competition in the future for the award, Judge is older than Ohtani and has had his share of injuries over the past few seasons, opening an easier pathway to the award compared to Stewart.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/collectibles as What to Do With Bowman Red Rookie Redemptions of Sal Stewart and Kevin McGonigle.
