Who is he?
Remember Carter Stewart Jr., former 8th overall pick back in 2018? The Braves drafted him, but after some issues with his physical, he decided to sign with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The decision came as a surprise to pretty much everyone at the time, and there was a lot of buzz around the idea that this might become a trend with players who don’t receive the signing bonus that they were asking for in the draft. However, it hasn’t really caught on, and there hasn’t been much buzz around Stewart since he decided to forgo the draft and begin playing professional baseball in Japan. This might not be the case for much longer. Before the season, Stewart signed a two-year, $10 million extension with Fukuoka. By doing so, he’ll be classified as a foreign professional once the contract is finished, and he will be exempt from the international bonus pool as defined by the most recent CBA. This will allow Stewart to return to the States and play in the MLB if he desires to do so after his contract expires. In the next couple years, Stewart is sure to generate a good bit of interest from organizations due to his power stuff, and experience in professional baseball.
The Stuff
Coming out of high school, Stewart was a highly touted prospect. His fastball sat in the low-90s, and his curveball featured some unreal spin metrics, consistently throwing it over 3,000 RPMs. There was no question of the upside that was present, and it was no surprise to see him taken in the top ten picks in 2018. Over in the NPB, Stewart has shown serious flashes of that potential that got him drafted so high. Across his three seasons, he holds a 3.91 ERA and a 9.0 k/9. So far this year, he’s seen an increase in fastball velocity, going from 94.7 to 96.7, touching 99 MPH.
The fastball features some big riding life, and he really tries to attack with it up in the zone. The curveball carries the same characteristics that had scouts drooling in 2018. It’s a power, high-spin pitch with really sharp break. Creates a lot of depth with it, allowing him to work up and down with the fastball. Curveball has 60-grade traits for me, and the fastball certainly has a chance to be a plus pitch if he can maintain the increased velocity. In addition to this lethal 1-2 punch, Stewart has been rumored to be incorporating a splitter and a gyro slider this year. The slider should allow for a more consistent offering to be landed for strikes. It’ll pose a challenge to hitters who now have to protect against the big up-and-down curveball as well as the sharper east-to-west slider. I’m very interested to see if the splitter can be developed more over the next two years. If it can be just an average pitch, it would give him four pitches and a solid chance to be a starter in the MLB once his contract expires.
Going Forward
I think Carter Stewart has a legitimate chance to be a solid starting pitcher in the MLB. The fastball and curveball combination that he was so highly touted for are still present and have been developed and improved during his time in the NPB so far. If the slider turns into a legitimate weapon and the splitter can be effective, he could easily slide to a starting rotation in the big leagues immediately after signing. He’ll be 26 with six years of professional experience under his belt. Certainly, a name to keep in the back of my mind over the next couple of years. It might just be time to restart the Carter Stewart hype train.