Former Braves First Round Pick Carter Stewart is Dominating the NPB in Japan
Carter Stewart was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Yet the pitching prospect never signed a deal after the Braves reportedly lowballed him in negotiations due to a past injury.
Stewart was draft-eligible in 2019 but made the drastic decision to sign a contract to play overseas in Japan. He is now with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball and is showing off his talent in the Japanese league. After his latest impressive outing, Braves fans will be fuming at the organization for letting this talent go.
Softbank Hawks pitcher Carter Stewart Jr started today in a farm team practice game vs the Chunichi Dragons farm team, and went 6 IP with 0H 2BB 0R 4K. https://t.co/Og4hBlnGAN #npb
— NPB on reddit (@NPB_Reddit) March 13, 2020
Six innings of scoreless baseball at any level is impressive. Carter is still working his way up through the organization and is one of the top prospects in Japan after spurning the Braves' offer.
Everything you need to know about 19-year-old Carter Stewart's groundbreaking six-year, $7M deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League, including the potentially big ramifications on MLB free agency and the draft. News analysis @ESPN: https://t.co/tvl26NZhLA pic.twitter.com/HlW7hYX9pl
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 22, 2019
Stewart is only 20 years old and will be eligible to be a MLB free agent in 2025. He signed a $7 million contract in Japan, thus ensuring he'd immediately be making money, rather than climbing through the minors in the United States.
His decision could change the MLB as other talented young players may opt to go to Japan to get paid and before getting posted and hitting free agency sooner than those going through the MLB's farm system. The Braves are likely regretting the decision to let a top prospect walk, despite their highly-rated farm.