The Baltimore Orioles signed veteran Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano last offseason, but he is once again a free agent after his first season in Major League Baseball.
Sugano was 35 at the start of last season. He pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball for 12 seasons before signing with an MLB team. He was a two-time Central League MVP, two-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner, eight-time NPB All-Star, and Triple Crown winner.
He had a 1.67 ERA in Japan in 2024 and posted a 4.64 ERA for the Orioles last season. He recently announced that he is not thinking about returning to NPB. He wants to sign with an MLB team again, per a report from Yahoo Japan, translated by Google Translate.
“I’m not even thinking about it,” Sugano told “Hodo Station,” per Yahoo Japan, when asked about returning to Japan. “It’s only been a year since I played in MLB, but I feel like I’ve gotten a feel for things, so I think this year is the real test.”
Yahoo Japan also reported that Sugano said that he has been in contact with multiple teams, but is waiting for offers. He has plenty of experience, but he is not an ace like he once was in Japan. However, there are parts of his game that other teams could covet.
His biggest plus is that he does not issue many free passes. His walk percentage was 5.3%, which was in the 92nd percentile in the majors. He does not have a crazy fastball, sitting at just 92.8 mph. He has a five-pitch mix, with his splitter being the most used pitch. Hitters hit just .218 against his splitter last season.
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