2024 Stats
W-L
4-0
ERA
0.98
WHIP
0.80
K
28
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
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
Nabs fourth win
Imanaga (4-0) earned the win Friday over the Red Sox, allowing one run on five hits and one walk across 6.1 innings. He struck out seven.
ANALYSIS
It was another strong outing from Imanaga, with Boston's lone run coming on a Tyler O'Neill solo homer in the fourth inning. It's safe to say the 30-year-old southpaw has exceeded expectations thus far -- Imanaga's yet to allow more than two earned runs in a start, and his ERA now sits at a stellar 0.98 with a 0.80 WHIP and 28:3 K:BB across five outings (27.2 innings). He's currently slated for a road matchup with the Mets in his next start.
It was another strong outing from Imanaga, with Boston's lone run coming on a Tyler O'Neill solo homer in the fourth inning. It's safe to say the 30-year-old southpaw has exceeded expectations thus far -- Imanaga's yet to allow more than two earned runs in a start, and his ERA now sits at a stellar 0.98 with a 0.80 WHIP and 28:3 K:BB across five outings (27.2 innings). He's currently slated for a road matchup with the Mets in his next start.
Pitching Stats
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2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
81
Last 10 Games
81
Last 5 Games
81
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
-15%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-15%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022vs Left | .161 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| Since 2022vs Right | .189 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .161 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .189 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 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
-32%
ERA on Road
2024
-32%
ERA on Road
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022Home | 1.13 | 0.56 | 16.0 | 9.6 | 0.0 | ||||
| Since 2022Away | 0.77 | 1.11 | 11.2 | 8.5 | 2.3 | ||||
| 2024Home | 1.13 | 0.56 | 16.0 | 9.6 | 0.0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 0.77 | 1.11 | 11.2 | 8.5 | 2.3 | ||||
| 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
9.33K/9
9.1BB/9
1.0HR/9
0.7Fastball
92.3 mphERA
0.98WHIP
0.80BABIP
.254GB/FB
0.81Left On Base
88.5%Exit Velocity
81.6 mphBarrels/BBE
3.1%Spin Rate
2208 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
24.2%Swinging Strike
14.0%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Working on elevating fastball
Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Thursday that the club has made an effort improve on Imanaga's ability to throw his fastball up in the zone, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
ANALYSIS
Pitchers in Japan don't utilize the high fastball as often as in MLB, so Chicago's coaching staff has made that a point of emphasis during camp for Imanaga. The 30-year-old lefty doesn't have a ton of life on his fastball as it sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but it also has plenty of movement. Imanaga has showcased his strikeout potential during spring training with 19 punchouts over 9.2 innings, but he's also allowed five earned runs, including a pair of homers.
Pitchers in Japan don't utilize the high fastball as often as in MLB, so Chicago's coaching staff has made that a point of emphasis during camp for Imanaga. The 30-year-old lefty doesn't have a ton of life on his fastball as it sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but it also has plenty of movement. Imanaga has showcased his strikeout potential during spring training with 19 punchouts over 9.2 innings, but he's also allowed five earned runs, including a pair of homers.
More Fantasy News
Allows first earned runs of season
Imanaga (3-0) earned the win in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins. He struck out five and gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks across six innings.
ANALYSIS
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Still no earned runs given up
Imanaga (2-0) earned the win over Seattle on Saturday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.1 innings.
ANALYSIS
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Spotless in rain-shortened start
Imanaga pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out three batters in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers. He did not factor into the decision.
ANALYSIS
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Dominant in MLB debut
Imanaga (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Rockies. He allowed two hits and struck out nine.
ANALYSIS
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Could start home opener
Imanaga appears on track to start the Cubs' home opener April 1 versus the Rockies, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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