It’s been more than a month since the 2026 season started. So far this season, there are several rookies who have played very well. This time, let’s take a look at position players to see who has done a good job thus far.
Firstly, let’s look at which rookie is leading in hits. Kevin McGonigle made it into the big leagues in March. So far this season, he has collected 38 hits and he's the leader in hits among rookie players. Sal Stewart made his MLB debut last September. He played 18 games for the Reds last season and had 14 hits. In 2026, he already played 31 games and collected 32 hits. At the same time, TJ Rumfield has collected 30 hits thus far. He made it into the big leagues in March 2026. Meanwhile, JJ Wetherholt made his MLB debut in March as well and now has 30 hits.
Moreover, let’s look at which rookie players have blasted many home runs. Munetaka Murakami signed a 2-year deal with the White Sox. It seems that the White Sox front office made a good decision. Murakami now has 12 home runs in 31 games. 12 home runs are now tied for the most in the majors. In the meantime, Sal Stewart smashed 5 home runs in 2025. So far in the 2026 season, Stewart has crushed 9 home runs. In the meantime, JJ Wetherholt has 7 home runs. Also, Carter Jensen made his MLB debut last September. He blasted 3 home runs in 20 games last year. In the 2026 season, Jensen now has 6 home runs over 29 games.
In addition, let’s look at the RBI leaders among rookie players. Sal Stewart has 29 RBI by far this season. Last year, he collected 8 RBI over 18 games. Murakami now has 23 RBI in 31 games. At the same time, Chase DeLauter has 18 RBI over 29 games. DeLauter made his MLB debut for the Guardians during the AL Wild Card Series on October 1, 2025. His regular season debut was on the 2026 Opening Day. Moreover, 4 other players each have 16 RBI.
Finally, let’s look at which rookies have run a lot. Konnor Griffin was called up in April. He has played 26 games for the Pirates and has 7 steals. Sal Stewart has 7 steals as well but he didn’t have any stolen bases last year. Carson Benge made his MLB debut in March and has 6 steals. Meanwhile, Wetherholt has 4 steals.
So far this season, it seems that Sal Stewart was off to a good start. We’ve seen him on the leaderboard in several hitting categories. It will be quite interesting to see if he will continue his good performance through the season. Perhaps, he will become the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year award winner? Additionally, Kevin McGonigle already agreed to a long-term deal with the Tigers. Konnor Griffin agreed to a contract extension with the Pirates. It will be worth watching their performance because it seems that they should become cornerstone players. Moreover, Murakami is a home run hitter and let’s see how many home runs he will finish in his rookie season.
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