The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly added a Nippon Professional Baseball star to the rotation.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Orioles have agreed to a one-year deal with pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. The contract is worth $13 million.
Sugano has been one of the best pitchers in Japan during his career. An eight-time All-Star, Sugano has won three Central League MVP awards, is a two-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner, won three Golden Glove Awards and won the pitching Triple Crown in 2018. He was a part of the 2017 Japanese World Baseball Classic squad, dominating the American team in the semifinals.
He has posted a 2.43 ERA and a 1.031 WHiP in his 1857 NPB innings, striking out 1585 batters with only 347 walks. The now 35-year-old showed no signs of slowing down in 2024, posting a 1.67 ERA and a 0.945 WHiP in his 156.2 innings, striking out 111 batters with 16 walks.
While Sugano does not have the velocity he once did, he has been able to remain effective with his excellent command and deep arsenal. His four-seam fastball averages 92 mph, but he uses it well with his three other primary pitches – a slider, a cutter and a splitter. Sugano also throws the occasional curve and sinker, the latter of which averages 5 mph faster than his split.
