The next great Japanese pitcher is coming to America next season.
Right-hander Tomoyuki Kanno will become a Major League Baseball international free agent, paving the way for him to join a major league club this winter. According to ESPN.
Sugano is one of the top athletes to emerge from Japan in recent years.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old had one of the best seasons of his career, going 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA in 156 2/3 innings, striking out 111 batters and walking just 16. I'm about to finish it.
In 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sugano has an impressive record of 136 wins, 74 losses, and an ERA of 2.43.
He has won the Sawamura Award, NPB's equivalent of the Cy Young Award, twice and has won the ERA title four times.
Kanno is a rare hurler who can throw six pitches reliably.
He has a fastball that averages 92 mph and has a combination of four-seam and two-seamers.
Sugano mixes in splitters and curveballs, while also featuring cutters and sliders.
He joins a long list of Japanese pitchers to move to the big leagues in recent years, joining Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kodai Senga and Shota Imanaga.
However, Sugano may not be the biggest name to arrive from Japan this offseason.
Flamethrower Aki Sasaki, who is only 22 years old, is also expected to come to MLB this winter if the team decides to post him.
Sasaki, said to be the best Japanese prospect since Ohtani, requested a posting last offseason, but it is reported that the Chiba Lotte Marines are unlikely to accept his request.
He had another dominant season with the Marines in 2024, pitching 111 innings and posting an ERA of 2.35.
