This one is a bit out of left field.
Carter Stewart, a top pitching prospect in the 2019 MLB Draft, has agreed to a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League, according to The Athletic.
RHP Carter Stewart, who attended Eastern Florida State College after failing to sign with the #Braves as the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s draft, is in agreement on a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2019
He will likely ink a deal worth more than what he was looking for in the draft this season.
He was reportedly seeking a contract in the $7 million range. He is ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 59 prospect, which means it would have been very tough for him to sign such a deal with an MLB club.
Terms not yet known, but Stewart almost certainly will sign for far more than he would have received in the draft; he was believed to be seeking $7M. Once he signs with the Hawks, he would need team to post him at some later date if he wanted to join a major-league organization. https://t.co/M3mPurf0t4
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2019
The highest bonus ever received in the new system went to Vanderbilt starter Kyle Wright, who signed with the Braves for $7 million as the No. 5 pick in 2017.
Stewart, 19, was drafted No. 8 overall by the Braves in 2018 out of high school, but due to a medical issue he did not sign and went on to play in junior college this season. Atlanta received the No. 9 pick in this year's draft as compensation for not signing Stewart.
The Florida native threw 74 1/3 innings this season while posting a 1.70 ERA with 108 strikeouts at Eastern Florida State College.
Stewart's future in MLB now gets even murkier. By signing a deal in Japan, he will now have to go through the posting system all players from that league must go through if they want to play in MLB.
The exact details of how that will work are unclear at this point, but one thing is for sure, Stewart is not going in the draft this year and it will be a while before he'll be seen in MLB.