Orioles ink NPB star to $13 million contract
12/16/2024 08:36 PM
The Baltimore Orioles bolstered their pitching rotation on Monday, signing Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year, $13 million contract.
Sugano, a right-handed starter, pitched to a 1.67 ERA in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants in 2024. He displayed pinpoint control, walking only 16 batters and striking out 111 in 156.2 innings.
The 35-year-old is a three-time Central League MVP who won the Japanese triple crown in 2018. He uses six pitches, primarily alternating between his four-seam fastball, cutter, slider and splitter. He also has a sinker and curveball which he uses less than 10% of the time each, per NPB data.
Sugano last faced Major League batters during the 2017 World Baseball Classic, where he struck out Nolan Arenado three times, as well as Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Adam Jones once each.
For the Orioles, Sugano will provide veteran leadership in a young-but-talented starting rotation. If Baltimore fails to re-sign Corbin Burnes, probably the most high-profile American player remaining on the free agent market, Sugano will become even more important as he steps into a rotation that is suddenly without an ace.
According to Baseball America, Sugano profiles as a fourth or fifth starter, so don’t expect him to carry over his electric numbers from NPB. Baseball America adds that his velocity has dipped with age, as his fastball now tops out around 92-93 mph (compared to 94-96). He can still be effective, however, with his 2.6% walk rate and extensive pitch arsenal. Fans worried about his subpar strikeout rate should also note that hitters in Japan tend to be more contact oriented and his strikeout rate should rise against MLB hitters.
This is actually the second time that the Giants have posted Sugano. He first made himself available to MLB teams in 2020, but after failing to strike a deal stateside, he returned to the Yomiuri Giants on a four-year, $40 million deal.
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