Stewart, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, reached an agreement on a contract Tuesday with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hanks of the Japanese Pacific League, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Stewart and the Braves were unable to come to terms on a deal prior to last summer's deadline, with the 19-year-old right-hander instead choosing to attend Eastern Florida State College. By attending a junior-college program, Stewart would have been eligible to re-enter the 2019 draft and was viewed as a likely early round selection, but he determined beginning his career overseas was his preferred path. There's a good chance Stewart eventually surfaces in affiliated ball once he fulfills the terms of his contract with the Japanese club.
