[mikev]

Sugiyama Inked To Extension

You may look at Kenkichi Sugiyama and his fairly pedestrian .272/.308./434 campaign last year, and think "sure, he's a decent hitter."

The OBP wasn't quite there, but he hit 20 homers and 26 doubles, drove in 93 runs, and at a position where offense is usually considered secondary, he was good enough to have a 28.3 VORP.

However, the 26 year old was absolutely dominant in the postseason. In 26(!) games, all he did was bat .327 with 7 homers, 9 doubles, and a 1.013 OPS. He was the catalyst for the offense, especially with Aucoin out for most of the playoffs, and he really stepped up his game when it was needed.

It was no secret that the Crusaders wanted to lock up the young slugger long term, and it was recently announced that the team and player had agreed on terms of an extension. The 5 year deal will pay Sugiyama $25.8 Million through the 2026 season, a $5.2m per season salary.

The contract is favorable for both sides. Sugiyama gets a substantial raise over his league minimum deal, and the team saves some long term cash in the form of arbitration years bought out, as well as one free agent season when Sugiyama will be 31.

"Obviously we're excited about the deal," said Crusaders GM Voelker. "A guy like Kenny, you can see he's ready to break out, and I think that showed in the playoffs. We both have peace of mind now, and I think moving forward that's a good thing for everybody involved."

Rumors that the Crusaders were interested in infielder Jorge Mora were proven incorrect when the Taipei Tigers announced that Mora had signed a 3 year, 23 million dollar deal to play for the FIBB Champions.