Orioles’ Sánchez, French impressed with Sugano

SARASOTA–What’s happening? Tomoyuki Sugano threw 35 pitches in his first bullpen session, impressing Gary Sánchez, who caught him, and pitching coach Drew French, who watched him.

“Perfect. Everything was easy. A lot of strikes, which was typical for a lot of Japanese pitchers,” Sánchez said through a translator. “It was pretty good. Perhaps he didn’t have the same intensity as he would have in a game, it being his first bullpen, but I imagine we’ll see that soon enough.”

Sánchez and Adley Rutschman joined the veteran Japanese pitcher on a Zoom call before spring training started, and they’re just starting to get to know each other.

“We haven’t had as much time to talk as we would have liked with us being at different places here,” Sánchez said. “But I imagine we’ll have plenty of time to chat.”

French liked what he saw from the 35-year-old right-hander.

“It’s everything that was advertised when we started vetting him in free agency,” he said. “I think he has six pitches that he can throw in every quadrant. I think everything in due time is going to be an adjustment for him. He’s been super receptive to the information that we’ve given him and the conversations that we’ve had. He knows he’s walking into a different baseball league.”

Sánchez speaks Spanish and English, and by working with Masahiro Tanaka with the Yankees and Yu Darvish with San Diego, he’s picked up a few Japanese phrases.

“Bad words,” he joked.

He said that Sánchez and Tanaka pitch similarly.

“I think a lot of Japanese pitchers throw splitters that have spin,” Sánchez said. “My favorite thing about them is they all throw a lot of strikes.”

French and Sánchez are confident that Sugano can make any adjustments that might need to be made.

“I think he’s going to adjust very well. He’s a veteran pitcher, very experienced,” Sánchez said. “I think he’s going to do just fine. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of good people here, really good pitching coaches. We’ll do everything in our power to help him get there.”

Sugano will rest on Wednesday and then a decision on his next bullpen session will be made.

What’s happened? Live batting practice continued at Ed Smith Stadium with Zach Eflin, Keegan Akin, Bryan Baker and Corbin Martin pitching.

Sugano was so much the story that no one mentioned that Tuesday was the Orioles’ first full-squad workout.

Manager Brandon Hyde said that he’s decided on a starting pitcher for Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against Pittsburgh, but he didn’t reveal it.

Last year, Corbin Burnes started the first Grapefruit League game and the Orioles’ opener.

In the past, Hyde has chosen some pitchers who played less prominent roles to start the first Grapefruit League games in his seven seasons as manager including Yefry Ramirez (2019), Chandler Shepherd (2020). Thomas Eshelman (2021), Spenser Watkins (2022) and Drew Rom (2023). 

What’s up with?  Rodolfo Martinez was signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract last November. He has never pitched in the major leagues and hasn’t played for a major league organization since 2019.

“I was with San Francisco before the pandemic. They sent us home for two weeks,” Martinez said through a translator. “The Giants cleared house. They didn’t want me there anymore.”

Martinez has played in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Japan.

The 30-year-old right-hander threw hard during live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium, retiring prospects Samuel Basallo, Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Dylan Beavers.

Martinez said there was interest from others before he signed with the Orioles.

“There were several teams, including the Yankees, but I decided to sign here because I felt like I had a good opportunity to perform and help the team win,” he said.

What’s what? The Orioles have players with diverse backgrounds. Not only do they have Sugano from Japan, but they signed 41-year-old Charlie Morton, and they have players who’ve pitched recently in Mexico and Asia after they couldn’t find a major league team that was interested in them.

“When you’re looking at guys, you’re starting to understand why they’ve had success before, especially when you’ve had the older veteran type of players,” French said. “This league rewards uniqueness, and each one of these guys has one or more things that are very unique about them that lends itself to success.”

What’s the word? “He’s a pro through and through…There are so many adjustments he’s going to have to make.”-French on his first impression of Sugano

What’s the number? 35. Sugano threw 35 pitches, and said he threw each of his six pitches except for the slider.