Former Braves Top Draft Pick Carter Stewart Talks More About Decision to Sign With Japanese Team
By Michael Luciano
Carter Stewart figured to be an instrumental piece of the Atlanta Braves farm system after they burned the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 draft on him, but he decided not to sign after he was offered just a $2 million signing bonus (his slot value was $4.9 million) due to a wrist injury he suffered when he was nine.
The Scott Boras client immediately inked a deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, as he hopes to blaze a new trail that could turn the MLB Draft upside down.
Fukuoka, Japan, is about 7,723 miles away from Carter Stewart’s hometown of Melbourne, Fla.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 27, 2019
The longest distance between any two points on earth is 7,926 miles.
It's a long way to go for a job.
But Stewart had $7 million reasons to do so.https://t.co/1uKuQsij7o
“I feel like a trailblazer a little bit,” Stewart said. “I hope someone else tries to take this opportunity. I’ve been loving it over here so far and I tell all my friends how much I like it and how grateful I am for the opportunity.”
Stewart is facing major obstacles as it pertains to both finding his way as a pitcher and assimilating into Japanese culture. According to Fukuoka scout Matt Skrmetta, Japanese hitters are more contact-heavy than MLB hitters, who more often go for the home run, so strikeouts are harder to come by in the NPB.
Learning Japanese has been a bit of a challenge, but Stewart has taken that in stride as well.
“I’ve been lucky so far on the field in that one of my infielders that I’ve become good friends with (Richard Sunagawa), is part-American and speaks pretty good English,” Stewart said.
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
If Stewart is able to dominate in Japan and eventually comes back over to the states, his move could set a precedent that changes how we view the MLB Draft.