2025 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
1.00
K
2
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
When Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed in MLB last offseason, some considered Imanaga's stuff to be on par with, if not better than, fellow countryman Yamamoto's. However, Imanaga lagged in command while sporting a high home-run rate by Nippon Professional Baseball standards. To address both, the Cubs designed an apparatus to train Imanaga to throw his four-seamer up in the zone. His 1.4 HR/9 was high but palatable. His high riser also helped yield a low .264 BABIP while generating a high 17.6 percent swinging-strike rate. The biggest surprise was a scant 4.0 percent walk rate. A bloated 80.2 percent left on base mark fueled a 2.91 ERA, over half a run below expected. Even so, a mid-threes ERA with a strikeout rate around 25 percent plays in any format. Just don't pay for a repeat of last season's deflated ERA; a correction is likely on the way. Read Past Outlooks
First domestic start not revealed
Imanaga will not start either of the Cubs' first two games during their March 27-30 series against the Diamondbacks, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
Imanaga started the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers and spun four scoreless innings. However, he will have to wait until at least the third game back in the states, as the Cubs will go with Justin Steele in their domestic opener and follow him with Jameson Taillon.
Imanaga started the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers and spun four scoreless innings. However, he will have to wait until at least the third game back in the states, as the Cubs will go with Justin Steele in their domestic opener and follow him with Jameson Taillon.
Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
69
Last 10 Games
69
Last 5 Games
69
How many pitches does Shota Imanaga generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Shota Imanaga generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-8%
BAA vs LHP
2025
No Stats
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .206 | 40 | 6 | 29 | 5 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .225 | 136 | 26 | 120 | 22 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .000 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .212 | 40 | 4 | 29 | 5 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .229 | 134 | 24 | 120 | 22 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-17%
ERA at Home
2025
No Stats
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 2.61 | 0.93 | 100.0 | 10.1 | 1.4 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 2025Home | 0.00 | 1.00 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 9.0 | ||||
| 2025Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.72 | 0.93 | 96.0 | 10.3 | 1.1 | ||||
| 2024Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Shota Imanaga compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
0.50K/9
4.5BB/9
9.0HR/9
0.0Fastball
92.7 mphERA
0.00WHIP
1.00BABIP
.000GB/FB
0.29Left On Base
100.0%Exit Velocity
0.0 mphBarrels/BBE
0.0%Spin Rate
0 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
0.0%Swinging Strike
17.4%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
Imanaga is a 30-year-old lefthanded starting pitcher who was with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball since 2016. He was posted by his former club and is slated to make his MLB debut this season. Imanaga recorded a 2.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 2023, fanning 174 in 148 innings. He throws a four-seam that's been reported between 92- and 94-mph, a slider, curveball, and split-finger changeup. The key to his success is fastball command and the effectiveness of his split-finger offering. Imanaga pitched for Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was deemed to possess the best Stuff+ by the Athletics Eno Sarris. Imanaga's main concern is he carried a high home run rate, especially relative to some of the other pitchers coming to MLB from Japan. He'll be working in bigger parks, but also facing better hitters. Chances are, Imanaga's ability to keep the ball in the yard will drive his major league success. He's expected to fill a mid-rotation role but shouldn't be expected to make more than 25 or 26 starts as he transitions to his new environment.
More Fantasy News
Tosses four scoreless in opener
Imanaga didn't factor in the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers in Tokyo after he struck out two and allowed no hits and four walks over four scoreless innings.
ANALYSIS
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Missing bats this spring
Imanaga -- who will start Tuesday's opener against the Dodgers in Tokyo -- has allowed seven runs with a 13:2 K:BB over 11 Cactus League innings this spring.
ANALYSIS
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Uneven spring debut
Imanaga allowed three runs on three hits and a walk across 2.2 innings of work in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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Starting first game in Tokyo
Imanaga will start March 18 against the Dodgers in the Cubs' season-opening series in Tokyo.
ANALYSIS
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To pitch in Tokyo
Imanaga will start one of the first two games of the season when the Cubs face the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Excelling with rare splitter
According to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Imanaga is one of only 16 left-handed starting pitchers to throw a splitter since 2008, with his 30.3 percent usage being the highest.
ANALYSIS
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.