A Macon, GA native, Cox was a fifth round draft choice in 2018 by the Kansas City Royals out of Mercer University. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 2023 and after bouncing around in the minor league system for a couple of years, Cox signed with Atlanta on May 5, a day after the Royals let him go.
An excellent 5.5% walk rate is Sugano's biggest calling card, but his other metrics have been much shakier. Both Sugano's strikeout rate (15.6%) and barrel rate (11.4%) rank only in the seventh percentile of all pitchers, and only seven pitchers have surrendered more home runs than Sugano's 28 big flies. There's still time for Sugano to improve on these numbers, though keeping the ball in the park will be tricky since his last two starts are scheduled to come against the powerful Yankees.
His numbers on the season look good until you check under the hood. He has thrown 29 innings with a 2.48 earned run average. However, his 17.5% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate are both subpar figures. His 51.3% ground ball rate is pretty good but he has largely benefitted from a .197 batting average on balls in play and 89.5% strand rate.
The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Guillo Zuñiga, per the team's transaction log at MLB.com. The former Cardinals and Angels reliever had been with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was granted his release earlier in the week. Zuñiga, 26, has pitched in the majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 19 2/3 frames between St. Louis and Anaheim. He's allowed 11 earned runs (5.03 ERA) on 16 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts.
