When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Sugano throws a fastball 67.2% of the time, against 37.7% when he is ahead.
192 pitches behind in the count, 162 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Sugano's sinker leaves the bat at 95.9 mph, against 85.2 off his splitter.
92 and 141 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Sugano lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.04 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
656 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Sugano's 4-seam fastball carries 14.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
160 thrown, averaging 92.2 mph.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Sugano lands 50.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.8% of his offspeed pitches.
334 of his fastballs, 141 of his offspeed pitches.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Sugano puts 64.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 28.4% when he is ahead.
192 located pitches behind, 162 ahead.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Sugano releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 34 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
656 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sugano works with 7 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter, Sinker and Slider, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 24.4% of everything he throws.
656 classified pitches in 2026.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sugano goes to the 4-seam fastball: 34.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 20.8% the rest of the time.
175 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sugano's sinker moves 13.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
92 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Sugano throws 39.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.2% with the bases empty.
115 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 541 with the bases empty.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .378 expected average against them, against .313 on his breaking balls.
334 of his fastballs thrown.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.5 mph off the bat against Sugano, 20th percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 430th in MLB.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Sugano averages 88.3 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
656 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sugano's 4-seam fastball averages 92.2 mph, and has touched 94.8.
160 thrown, 24.4% of his pitches.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
46% of the contact Sugano gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 427th in MLB.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sugano's slider spins at 2,591 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
85 thrown in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Sugano works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
656 located pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Sugano puts 44.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 42% of his pitches to left-handers.
349 pitches to right-handed hitters, 307 to left-handed hitters.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Sugano's fastball averages 91.6 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.1 past his 75th.
100 early fastballs, 46 late ones.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Sugano projects a .352 average, 26th percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 395th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sugano throws the sinker 20.3% of the time against right-handers and 6.8% against left-handers.
349 pitches to right-handers, 307 to left-handers.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Sugano releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
489 tracked pitches in 2026.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Sugano's stuff spins at 2,321 rpm, 61st percentile in the league.
656 pitches in 2026. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 209th in MLB.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Sugano throws a fastball 67.2% of the time, against 37.7% when he is ahead.
192 pitches behind in the count, 162 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Sugano puts 64.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 28.4% when he is ahead.
192 located pitches behind, 162 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sugano goes to the 4-seam fastball: 34.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 20.8% the rest of the time.
175 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Sugano's sinker leaves the bat at 95.9 mph, against 85.2 off his splitter.
92 and 141 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sugano works with 7 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter, Sinker and Slider, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 24.4% of everything he throws.
656 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sugano's 4-seam fastball averages 92.2 mph, and has touched 94.8.
160 thrown, 24.4% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sugano's slider spins at 2,591 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
85 thrown in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sugano throws the sinker 20.3% of the time against right-handers and 6.8% against left-handers.
349 pitches to right-handers, 307 to left-handers.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Sugano lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.04 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
656 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Sugano works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 1.8 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
656 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Sugano's 4-seam fastball carries 14.5 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
160 thrown, averaging 92.2 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sugano's sinker moves 13.4 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
92 thrown, averaging 92.1 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Sugano lands 50.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 29.8% of his offspeed pitches.
334 of his fastballs, 141 of his offspeed pitches.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .378 expected average against them, against .313 on his breaking balls.
334 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Sugano releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 34 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
656 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Sugano's fastball averages 91.6 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 91.1 past his 75th.
100 early fastballs, 46 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Sugano releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
489 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Sugano throws 39.1% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.2% with the bases empty.
115 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 541 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.5 mph off the bat against Sugano, 20th percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 20th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 430th in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
46% of the contact Sugano gives up is hit hard, 21st percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 21st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 427th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Sugano projects a .352 average, 26th percentile.
656 pitches in 2026. 26th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 395th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Sugano averages 88.3 mph across his arsenal, 29th percentile in the league.
656 pitches in 2026. 29th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 381st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Sugano puts 44.4% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 42% of his pitches to left-handers.
349 pitches to right-handed hitters, 307 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Sugano's stuff spins at 2,321 rpm, 61st percentile in the league.
656 pitches in 2026. 61st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 209th in MLB.
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