2024 Stats
W-L
15-3
ERA
2.91
WHIP
1.02
K
174
SV
0
2025 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
Starting first game in Tokyo
Imanaga will start March 18 against the Dodgers in the Cubs' season-opening series in Tokyo.
ANALYSIS
Manager Craig Counsell had said previously that Imanaga would take the ball in one of the two contests in Japan, and now it's been confirmed that the lefty will start the opener. He's expected to be opposed by fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, although the Dodgers have not yet confirmed that. Imanaga held a 2.91 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 174 strikeouts over 173.1 innings in 2024, his first season with the Cubs.
Manager Craig Counsell had said previously that Imanaga would take the ball in one of the two contests in Japan, and now it's been confirmed that the lefty will start the opener. He's expected to be opposed by fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, although the Dodgers have not yet confirmed that. Imanaga held a 2.91 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 174 strikeouts over 173.1 innings in 2024, his first season with the Cubs.
Pitching Stats
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2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
87
Last 10 Games
93
Last 5 Games
95
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 2022
-7%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-7%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022vs Left | .212 | 40 | 4 | 29 | 5 | |||
| Since 2022vs Right | .229 | 134 | 24 | 120 | 22 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 2022vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-13%
ERA at Home
2024
-13%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022Home | 2.72 | 0.93 | 96.0 | 10.3 | 1.1 | ||||
| Since 2022Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2022Away | 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
6.21K/9
9.0BB/9
1.5HR/9
1.4Fastball
91.7 mphERA
2.91WHIP
1.02BABIP
.279GB/FB
0.91Left On Base
79.7%Exit Velocity
80.6 mphBarrels/BBE
5.1%Spin Rate
2032 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
22.2%Swinging Strike
14.9%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
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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Silences Nationals in 15th win
Imanaga (15-3) allowed six hits and struck out four without walking a batter over seven shutout innings to earn the win over the Nationals on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
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Strikes out 11 in win
Imanaga (14-3) got the win Monday against the A's, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 11 over six innings.
ANALYSIS
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Earns win despite homer issues
Imanaga (13-3) got the win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four over seven innings. He did not issue a walk.
ANALYSIS
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Sets tone in combined no-no
Imanaga (12-3) pitched seven innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two without allowing a run to earn the win over the Pirates on Wednesday.
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.