The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano of Japan. Sugano and the Orioles have agreed to a one-year deal.
Sugano has put up phenomenal numbers in Japan and has a career 2.70 era in his career. It looks like Sugano will be able to give the Orioles versatility as he pitched 156.2 innings last season. I think this could be a very effective depth move for the Orioles but every foreign pitcher adjust differently.
Here is the Orioles press release.
ORIOLES AGREE TO TERMS WITH RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER TOMOYUKI SUGANO
The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher TOMOYUKI SUGANO (菅野 智之) on a one-year major league contract for the 2025 season.
Sugano (pronounced toh-moh-yoo-kee soo-GAH-noh), 35, has spent his entire 12-year professional career with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League in Japan. He won the Central League MVP last season, going 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA (29 ER/156.2 IP) with 132 hits (6 HR), 16 walks, four hit batters, and 111 strikeouts in 24 starts, including three complete games and one shutout. His 2.6 percent walk rate and 0.9 walks-per-nine innings were the lowest of his career. Sugano led NPB in wins, while his ERA ranked second and was the second lowest of his career.
A native of Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, Sugano has compiled a 136-74 record with a 2.43 ERA (501 ER/1,857.0 IP) with 1,568 hits (142 HR), 347 walks (12 IBB), 52 hit batters, and 1,585 strikeouts in 276 career games (248 GS) with the Giants. He is a three-time Central League MVP (2014, 2020, 2024), a three-time Central League Mitsui Golden Glove Award winner (2016-18), an eight-time All-Star (2013-19, 2022), a two-time Eiji Sawamura Award honoree (2017-18), presented to the top pitcher in NPB each season, and MVP of the 2013 Central League Climax Series, the playoff format in NPB. Sugano has led the Central League in wins four times (2017-18, 2020, & 2024), ERA four times (2014, 2016-18), and strikeouts twice (2016, 2018). He earned the triple crown in 2018 after leading NPB in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He also pitched for Team Japan at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and started the semifinal game against Team USA on March 21, 2017, at Dodger Stadium, allowing one unearned run on three hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Sugano attended Tokai University (Tokyo, JPN).
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.
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