Top draft pick Carter Stewart to play in Japan after failing to sign with Braves
The Atlanta Braves spent the eighth overall pick in last year’s draft on right-handed pitcher Carter Stewart, but they may end up with nothing to show for it.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Stewart has agreed to a deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League after he failed to reach a contract agreement with the Braves. Talks apparently fell through over concerns about a wrist injury, and Stewart then decided to enroll at Eastern Florida State Junior College so he could become eligible for the draft again this year.
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
The #Braves did not sign Stewart, 19, after concerns arose after last year’s draft about an asymptomatic wrist issue. By attending junior college, he became eligible to re-enter the draft this year, and Baseball America had ranked him No. 38 among its top 500 draft prospects.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2019
As we saw with the way Kyler Murray’s situation unfolded, the MLB Draft is a lot different from some of the other sports. There’s always a risk of spending a high pick on a player and getting burned, and that appears to have happened with the Braves and Stewart.
