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The Yomiuri Giants will let right-wing ace Tomoyuki Sugano move into the major leagues via the detachment system if the player requests it, a Central League team official said Thursday.
Sugano, a two-time winner of the prestigious Eiji Sawamura Award as Japanese professional baseball’s most impressive starting pitcher, is not yet eligible to apply for international free agency and would have to go through the registration process to sign a Major League Baseball contract.
According to the source, 31-year-old Sugano will sit down and formally discuss the possibility of a move to the United States with Giants officials in the coming days.
“He is still debating whether the (MLB) environment is ideal for its best performance, and there are other pressures as well,” the source said, including the MLB’s challenges in playing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sugano, who has a career record of 101-49 with an ERA of 2.32 over eight seasons, is considered a solid Major League launch prospect possessing a superior slider and extraordinary command and balance.
He skipped the 2012 season as an amateur so he could play for his uncle, Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, after the Nippon Ham Fighters won his rights in the 2011 draft.
Shun Yamaguchi, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, was the first Giants player to be involved in the detachment system.
Sugano is the third best NPB player likely headed to the major leagues this winter, joining two 28-year-old Fighters players, pitching ace Kohei Arihara and center-back and leadoff man Haruki Nishikawa.
Yomiuri Giants pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano celebrates after scoring his 100th career win and extending his opening day winning streak to 13 decisions on October 6, 2020, at Tokyo Dome. The right-hander allowed three runs in seven innings against DeNA BayStars. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
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