[mikev]

Sugiyama Selected As All Star - Trade Coming Next?



The controversy surrounding Kenkichi Sugiyama has mostly been rumors of his trade, his perceived value, and whether or not he will remain a Crusader.

The 29 year old righty was just named to the 2023 All Star Team, and will serve as the backup catcher behind Conrad "There is no way these ratings should mean I have a .900 OPS" Turbull of the Austin Riverbats.

When asked to comment, through an interpreter Sugiyama simply stated, "I do not pay attention to rumors. I just play, and whatever is going to happen is how it will be. I can not control it so I just play."

SO far this season Sugiyama has hit a disappointing .237, but his power has buoyed his game and his offensive stats look okay due to the 5 doubles and 15 home runs, putting him on about a 35 homer pace this season.

Overvalued? Perhaps. Underrated? Who knows. What's clear is there are multiple teams who could benefit from 30 homer production behind the plate coupled with good defense (15 of 41 runners thrown out) and a wildly popular player who is signed to a very reasonable deal for 3 more years.