Sugiuchi is a left-handed pitcher with a clean three-quarters delivery that he repeats well from pitch to pitch. Even by Japanese standards, his frame is diminutive; he is listed at just 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) and . Despite such disadvantage in size, Sugiuchi is a prolific strikeout pitcher, averaging more than a strikeout per inning for his career (9.46 strikeouts per nine innings at the end of 2012 season). He throws a four-seam fastball sitting in 86-89 mph (tops out at 93 mph), complementing it with a solid-average slider, a solid-average changeup, and an occasional curveball.