SoftBank Hawks recruit Carter Stewart said Thursday he has a "fantastic opportunity" starting his professional baseball career in Japan.

The first marquee American amateur to turn pro in Nippon Professional Baseball, the 19-year-old pitcher signed a deal with the Hawks last week. It has been reported in the United States as being a six-year, $7 million contract.

Speaking to reporters before his departure from the United States, the Florida native said he felt confident in his groundbreaking decision to play across the Pacific.

"I made the decision that felt like it was the best for me at the time," said Stewart, who is set to be introduced by the Hawks in Fukuoka on Monday. "The more I talked about it, the more it came to me that it was a great idea and I loved it."

The right-hander was selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Braves in last year's draft out of high school, but he did not receive a satisfactory contract offer from the National League club, according to his management.

Stewart was 2-2 with a 1.70 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 74-1/3 innings this season at Eastern Florida State College.

He began negotiating with the Hawks after they approached him at the start of the year. Stewart, who visited Japan before deciding to join the Pacific League club, said he had been impressed by the approach to baseball in the country.

"You can tell the pride they take in their players," he said. "They spend a lots of time with each individual player and you can tell that each is getting good work."

Stewart's agent Scott Boras said the pitcher had the right mindset to adapt to life on and off the field in Japan.

"How Carter pitches, he has a soul that is well beyond his age. His learning aptitude is extraordinary," Boras said.

Stewart echoed the sentiment, saying he aimed to help the reigning Japan Series champion Hawks continue to set the standard in NPB.

"One of the things I pride myself on is the mental side of my game. When I get out there, I love to compete," he said.

"To get batters out not by overpowering them, but by pitching to them, learning their weakness and throwing different pitches at different counts to different batters," he added.

While Boras rattled off many Japanese major league pitchers' names as evidence that Japan could successfully develop elite talent, Stewart said Shohei Ohtani's 2018 debut season with the Los Angeles Angels made a huge impression on him, citing his "big presence."

"In one of his starts, he was throwing over 100 (miles per hour)," Stewart said. "This guy came from Japan and he comes out and is just dominating guys as a hitter and a pitcher. You have to recognize that."

Stewart will pitch in the Hawks' farm system the remainder of this season but could be ready for the top tier by next year, general manager Sugihiko Mikasa said.

Although going to Japan will give Stewart a chance to sign with a major league team as a professional free agent much faster than if he entered through Major League Baseball's amateur draft, Mikasa said the focus was on his pitching in Japan.

"Right now, our priority is on his succeeding with the Hawks," Mikasa said. "We have not considered at all what happens after the end of his contract. Of course, that will be something that is not only for the team to decide but for the player as well."