Shota Imanaga

Shota Imanaga

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
Chicago Cubs
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. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#78
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Cubs in January of 2024. Contract includes three-year, $57 million team option for 2026 through 2028 or $15 million player option for 2026 and $15 million player option for 2027.
Silences Nationals in 15th win
PChicago Cubs
September 22, 2024
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
Imanaga is up to 15 wins, and he's secured a victory in each of his last six starts, all of which have been quality. In that span, he's allowed just 10 runs over 40 innings (2.25 ERA) despite yielding seven home runs. Imanaga lowered his ERA to 2.91 with a 1.02 WHIP and 174:28 K:BB through 173.1 innings over 29 starts this season. The 31-year-old southpaw is tentatively projected to conclude his first major-league season with a home start versus the Reds.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
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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+
 
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+
 
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
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
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
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .212 141 40 4 29 3 0 5
Since 2022vs Right .229 553 134 24 120 20 1 22
2024vs Left .212 141 40 4 29 3 0 5
2024vs Right .229 553 134 24 120 20 1 22
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 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
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 2.72 0.93 96.0 7 2 0 10.3 1.1 1.3
Since 2022Away 3.14 1.14 77.1 8 1 0 7.4 1.9 1.5
2024Home 2.72 0.93 96.0 7 2 0 10.3 1.1 1.3
2024Away 3.14 1.14 77.1 8 1 0 7.4 1.9 1.5
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 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.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
6.21
 
K/9
9.0
 
BB/9
1.5
 
HR/9
1.4
 
Fastball
91.7 mph
 
ERA
2.91
 
WHIP
1.02
 
BABIP
.279
 
GB/FB
0.91
 
Left On Base
79.7%
 
Exit Velocity
80.6 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.1%
 
Spin Rate
2032 rpm
 
Balls 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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More Fantasy News
Strikes out 11 in win
PChicago Cubs
September 16, 2024
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
PChicago Cubs
September 11, 2024
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
PChicago Cubs
September 4, 2024
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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Wins with quality start
PChicago Cubs
August 30, 2024
Imanaga (11-3) allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out eight and earning a win over Washington.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up 10th win
PChicago Cubs
August 24, 2024
Imanaga (10-3) got the victory Saturday in a 14-2 win against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on four hits in six innings, walking two and fanning three batters.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Excelling with rare splitter
PChicago Cubs
May 15, 2024
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.
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