Shota Imanaga

Shota Imanaga

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
Chicago Cubs
15-Day IL
Injury Hamstring
Est. Return 6/13/2025
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
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#84
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.
Targeting Tuesday for mound work
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 23, 2025
Imanaga (hamstring) is slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
Cubs manager Craig Counsell had previously intimated that Imanaga wouldn't be ready for mound work until late next week, but it appears that timetable has been moved up a few days. The left-hander still has many boxes to check before he can rejoin the Cubs' rotation, and that's not expected until well into June.
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Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
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2024 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
87
Last 10 Games
87
Last 5 Games
88
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 2023
 
 
-14%
BAA vs LHP
2025
 
 
-32%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-7%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .198 191 54 9 36 6 0 6
Since 2023vs Right .229 684 154 33 148 25 1 28
2025vs Left .156 50 14 5 7 3 0 1
2025vs Right .231 131 20 9 28 5 0 6
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
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-11%
ERA on Road
2025
 
 
-74%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-13%
ERA at Home
2023
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 3.05 0.97 118.0 8 3 0 9.6 1.4 1.5
Since 2023Away 2.70 1.12 100.0 10 2 0 7.4 2.1 1.3
2025Home 4.50 1.14 22.0 1 1 0 6.5 2.9 2.5
2025Away 1.19 1.06 22.2 2 1 0 7.1 2.8 0.4
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
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
2.43
 
K/9
6.9
 
BB/9
2.8
 
HR/9
1.4
 
Fastball
91.2 mph
 
ERA
2.82
 
WHIP
1.10
 
BABIP
.233
 
GB/FB
0.55
 
Left On Base
86.7%
 
Exit Velocity
83.7 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
7.7%
 
Spin Rate
2056 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
26.5%
 
Swinging Strike
12.6%
 
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
Aiming for June return
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 19, 2025
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Imanaga (hamstring) isn't on track to return from the 15-day injured list until "well into June," Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with mild hamstring issue
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 5, 2025
Imanaga has been diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain that is expected to hold him out for more than two weeks, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Goes on IL with hamstring strain
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 5, 2025
The Cubs placed Imanaga (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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MRI on hamstring on tap
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 4, 2025
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Brewers that Imanaga will undergo an MRI on his strained left hamstring before a determination is made regarding whether he'll be able to make his next start, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with hamstring strain
PChicago Cubs
Hamstring
May 4, 2025
Imanaga was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after being removed from Sunday's game against the Brewers, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
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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