When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Sugano throws a fastball 67.4% of the time, against 38.4% when he is ahead.
734 pitches behind in the count, 658 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Sugano's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 96.0 mph, against 82.9 off his curveball.
527 and 207 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 1.95 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2522 located pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Sugano's 4-seam fastball carries 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
527 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Sugano releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 33 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2522 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
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 63.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.3% when he is ahead.
734 located pitches behind, 658 ahead.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sugano works with 7 pitches: Splitter, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Slider, and a little else. The splitter is 21.1% of everything he throws.
2522 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sugano's sinker moves 13.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
465 thrown, averaging 92.5 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.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sugano's curveball spins at 2,701 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
207 thrown in 2026.
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.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sugano goes to the 4-seam fastball: 26.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.7% the rest of the time.
705 two-strike pitches in 2026.
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 gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.7 mph separates Sugano's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.6 against 79.9.
527 and 207 of them respectively.
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 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.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sugano's 4-seam fastball averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.7.
527 thrown, 20.9% of his pitches.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Sugano's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
470 of 2522 located pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Sugano releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
2355 tracked pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sugano throws the splitter 25.7% of the time against left-handers and 15.2% against right-handers.
1096 pitches to right-handers, 1426 to left-handers.
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 67.4% of the time, against 38.4% when he is ahead.
734 pitches behind in the count, 658 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Sugano puts 63.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 31.3% when he is ahead.
734 located pitches behind, 658 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Sugano goes to the 4-seam fastball: 26.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 18.7% the rest of the time.
705 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 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 96.0 mph, against 82.9 off his curveball.
527 and 207 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Sugano works with 7 pitches: Splitter, 4-Seam Fastball, Sinker and Slider, and a little else. The splitter is 21.1% of everything he throws.
2522 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Sugano's curveball spins at 2,701 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
207 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
12.7 mph separates Sugano's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.6 against 79.9.
527 and 207 of them respectively.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Sugano's 4-seam fastball averages 92.6 mph, and has touched 95.7.
527 thrown, 20.9% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Sugano throws the splitter 25.7% of the time against left-handers and 15.2% against right-handers.
1096 pitches to right-handers, 1426 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 1.95 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2522 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.6% of Sugano's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
470 of 2522 located pitches.
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 14.1 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
527 thrown, averaging 92.6 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Sugano's sinker moves 13.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
465 thrown, averaging 92.5 mph.
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 33 degrees above horizontal and 2.4 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2522 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Sugano releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
2355 tracked pitches in 2026.
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 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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