Orioles sign NPB star Tomoyuki Sugano to a million-dollar contract

Sugano, a right-handed starter, pitched to a 1.67 ERA in the Japanese Professional Baseball League (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants in 2024. He demonstrated precise control, walking only 16 and striking out 111 in 156.2 innings.The pitcher The 35-year-old is a three-time Central League MVP and 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 a curveball that he uses less than 10% of the time each, according to NPB data.

Sugano last faced Major League hitters 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 to a rotation of young but talented starting pitchers. If Baltimore fails to re-sign Corbin Burnes , arguably the highest-profile American player left on the free agent market, Sugano will become even more important by adding to a rotation suddenly left without an ace.

According to Baseball America, Sugano figures to be a fourth or fifth starter, so don’t expect him to maintain his electric NPB numbers. Baseball America adds that his velocity has dropped with age, as his fastball now tops out around 92-93 mph (down from 94-96). However, he can still be effective, with his 2.6% walk rate and wide arsenal of pitches. Fans concerned about his below-par strikeout rate should also note that hitters in Japan tend to be more contact-oriented and his strikeout rate should increase against MLB hitters.

In fact, this is the second time the Giants have signed Sugano. He first made himself available to MLB teams in 2020, but after failing to reach a deal in the United States, he returned to the Yomiuri Giants on a four-year, $40 million contract.