“Five Major League Baseball Teams Inspected”
Softbank Hawks’ Carter Stewart started on the 26th (hereinafter Korean time) in an away match against the 2023 Nippon Professional Baseball Orix Buffaloes held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan. In 6 innings that year, he recorded 102 pitches, 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts and 1 run (visa book), earning his first win in 5 years of his debut.
Stewart has a rather unique history. He entered the Japanese stage despite being nominated for the major league right away. Stewart was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. However, Stewart did not join Atlanta at the time. The reason was an injury.
Atlanta discovered Stewart’s wrist injury during a medical test and offered a contract of $2 million (approximately 2.66 billion won). At the time, Stuart was holding hands with Scott Boras, who was called the ‘Devil’s Agent’, and Boras demanded 4 million dollars (about 5.1 billion won) as a deposit for Stuart, and the two sides began to show differences. In the end, they couldn’t narrow their differences.바카라사이트
Stewart, who lost his place when his Atlanta deal fell through, appeared to be joining East Florida State Junior College. But here comes the Softbank Hawks. Softbank began to take an interest in Stewart’s recruitment, and offered a six-year, $7 million (approximately 8.9 billion won) contract. It’s not a small amount, but as the contract period was hanging, Stewart couldn’t make a decision. After inspecting Softbank’s 1st and 2nd military facilities, he made up his mind and chose to go to Japan.
Stewart, who was 198cm tall during his amateur days and had a fast ball in the middle and late 150km, was attractive, but he wore a Softbank uniform amid high expectations, but it was not easy to find him after wearing a professional uniform. This is why Stewart pitched in 15 games in the second team in his first season in Japan and went 3-7 with a 4.16 ERA.
Stewart took the mound in 12 games in the second team in the second year of joining the team and went 6-1 with an average ERA of 1.84 and took the stage for the first time in the first team. , In the 2022 season, despite an average ERA of 3.19 with 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 hold, he was never called up to the first team. While time passed without any significant results, Stewart took another chance this year. And after 16 games of his first-team debut, he enjoyed the thrill of “first win.”
Stewart started the game on the 26th with a fast ball of 159 km from the first inning, but he was unable to get help from the defense and dedicated the first point. However, he struck out two in the second inning and scored no runs, and continued to pitch solidly in the third inning. Stewart gave up a walk in the 4th inning and a hit in each of the 5th and 6th innings, never allowing a tripartite inning, but tying up the Pacific League’s No. I tasted the joy of my first victory.
According to Japan’s ‘Tokyo Sports’, scouts from five major league teams visited the Kyocera Dome on the 26th to watch Stewart’s pitching. The achievements left behind in Japan are not great, but the reason why big league scouts are interested is clear. It is because his talent is clear enough to mark 160km on the 26th, and the pitching content has improved remarkably recently.
‘Tokyo Sports’ said, “Stuart is starting to get on track. He won his first long-awaited victory after 5 years of entering Japan. The highest speed is 160km, and the first round of the US draft is a rapid growth that foreshadows the achievement of an innovative project. He pointed out Stewart’s performance, saying, “The average ERA in five games this season is 1.57.”
The media continued, “After Softbank escaped from 12 consecutive losses in 54 years, he threw 102 pitches in a game where winning streak was important. Five major league teams inspected Stewart.” We won confidently in the face-to-face confrontation with scouts.
Since Stewart did not take the Japanese stage through the rookie draft, after the 2024 season, he can choose to return to the United States through free agent (FA) status. Stewart also has dreams of returning to the big leagues.
Softbank coach Kazumi Saito, who had two Sawamura awards during his active career, said, “I know that I have the power to throw long innings. Although he is not active, he put forward a prospect that he will be able to perform well even if he returns to the major leagues.
In Japan, numerous major leaguers are born every year. Only this season, Kodai Senga (New York Mets), Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox), and Shintaro Fujinami (Baltimore Orioles) made a soft landing in the big leagues. When the 2023 season ends, another big leaguer is expected to emerge, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) and Shota Imanaga (Yokohama DeNA Baystars). And after the 2024 season, a player from Japan who is not Japanese, but has no experience in the American professional stage, may appear on the major league stage.