The 3×MVP ace has just entered ML, perfect for a one-year, 18.6 billion-won contract with BAL for a groundball-guided home stadium?

Dec 17, 2024

The 3×MVP ace has just entered ML, perfect for a one-year, 18.6 billion-won contract with BAL for a groundball-guided home stadium?
Yomiuri Giants Tomoyuki Sugano is expressing his feelings after being named Central League MVP on the 27th of last month. AP Yonhap News



The 3×MVP ace has just entered ML, perfect for a one-year, 18.6 billion-won contract with BAL for a groundball-guided home stadium?
Tomoyuki Sugano. AP Yonhap News
Japanese FA pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano will wear the Baltimore Orioles uniform.

Baltimore agreed to a one-year major league contract with Tomoyuki right-hander Sugano on the 17th (Korea time). Sugano, who has established himself as a successful pitcher in Japanese professional baseball, is expected to provide a great boost to our rotation" he announced.

ESPN reported that Sugano and Baltimore signed a one-year contract of $13 million (about 18.6 billion won).




Sugano, who played for the Yomiuri Giants for 12 years, pitched 156 ⅔ innings in 24 games this season, winning 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA, 111 strikeouts, WHIP 0.94 and a 0.229 hit rate.

Sugano, who joined after being drafted by Yomiuri as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012, entered the ace ranks in his first season with a 13-6 record and a 3.12 ERA. In 2014, he won his first MVP award with a 12-5 record, 2.33 ERA and 122 strikeouts.

After receiving the Sawamura Award in the Central League for two consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018, he was named MVP for the second time in his career in 2020 with 14 wins and 2 losses and a 1.97 ERA in 20 games. Later that year, he asked for a posting announcement to advance to the Major League, but he was not offered satisfactory conditions by big league clubs and knocked on the Major League again this offseason, four years later.




The 3×MVP ace has just entered ML, perfect for a one-year, 18.6 billion-won contract with BAL for a groundball-guided home stadium?
Tomoyuki Sugano. AP Yonhap News
He pitched 1,857 innings in 276 appearances in the NPB's 12-year career, recording 136 wins, 74 losses with a 2.43 ERA and 1585 strikeouts. Sugano's average fastball speed is about 92 miles, and his dependence on the pitch is relatively high. Throw a 82-mile slider, 87-mile cutter, 86-mile splitter and 77-mile curve.

Baltimore is in a situation where Corbin Burns, who played as an ace this year, is on the FA market and cannot be sure of renewing his contract. Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells will return side by side from rehabilitation after elbow surgery next season. Therefore, recruitment of Sugano is interpreted as an intention to avoid weakening the rotation even if it does not catch Burns.

The 3×MVP ace has just entered ML, perfect for a one-year, 18.6 billion-won contract with BAL for a groundball-guided home stadium?
FA pitcher number one Corbin Burns. AP Yonhap News
With this, Baltimore's rotation for next year could be in the order of Jack Epplin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Crimmer, Sugano, and Brady and Wells. It would be more than welcome if Burns returned, but local media expect Burns to sign with the San Francisco Giants or Toronto Blue Jays.




Baltimore was acquired by private equity giant David Rubenstein in August. Baltimore, which has been ranked below 26th out of 30 teams for the past six consecutive years until this year, is now expected to change its direction to an investment stance. In other words, he hasn't given up on Burns yet.

Baltimore's payroll next year, which recently hired FA outfielder Tyler O'Neill for three years and $49.5 million and brought Sugano this time, is expected to reach $110 million.

Baltimore decided to push the left fence, where home runs often hit, by up to 20 feet next year as the traditionally pitcher-friendly home ground Camden Yards flowed in a batter-friendly direction this year. Sugano is a typical ground ball-guided pitcher. This year, the rate of inducing ground balls was 51.1%.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.