Shōta Imanaga Impresses Early as Fastball Highlights ‘Complete Package’

Shōta Imanaga remains the Cubs’ biggest addition of the offseason by a wide margin, at least from a player perspective, which puts as much pressure on him as it does the front office. Not that he should feel the need to secure himself as the No. 2 starter, mind you, it’s just that making so few external improvements to this point means pretty much every move has to work out well.

One of the best little wrinkles of the Imanaga saga is that he had actually been staying in Chicago throughout his posting period and no one knew about it until after he signed. Even though that was a function of his agency setting up shop in a central location, it added to the mystique Jed Hoyer has developed when it comes to operating in stealth.

Neither Imanaga nor the Cubs have that luxury any longer, especially now that spring training is officially open and we’ll be getting our first looks at the lefty in action. He’s already been down in Mesa for a while, though, and initial reports are glowing. Fellow southpaw Justin Steele, who knows a little something about a riding fastball, almost got sick watching his new teammate.

I watched Shōta Imanaga throw a bullpen today.. I’m on eBay now looking for cards. Guy is filthy. ?

— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) February 8, 2024

Like Steele, Imanaga finds success by generating unexpected movement rather than blowing his heater by hitters with big velo. Though he releases his fastball lower than the average MLB pitcher, the offering ends up higher because he pulls down through it to create elite ride while also generating serious arm-side run. Imanaga’s sweeper and splitter are also considered plus pitches, so Tommy Hottovy has got a lot to work with as he gets his new charge ready for MLB competition.

“Just seeing his stuff, I think it’s come as advertised,” the pitching coach told Jordan Bastian and other media members at camp. “It’s just a really unique fastball. We’re just trying to talk through ways we think he can continue to use it in effective ways. And then just seeing the rest of the repertoire, he’s got a complete repertoire. He’s a really complete package of a pitcher.”

There’s a little concern over the big home run numbers Imanaga allowed in Japan, especially since NPB hitters don’t slug quite like their stateside counterparts. Avoiding the longball is going to take some adjustment, something Imanaga has acknowledged, whether it’s a matter of working up in the zone more often or finding new ways to sequence his pitches.

Whatever happens, Imanaga’s performance will almost certainly come down to how well the fastball translates.

“The way he pitches and the movement he creates, it’s going to play harder than it seems, right?” Hottovy said. “It’s just one of those rising, riding fastballs that never seem to come down. Yan (Gomes) caught him today and even mentioned that he just felt like he was squeezing where he thought the ball was going to be, and it kind of wasn’t clean. It, like, rattled a little bit.”

Here’s to hoping it’s opposing hitters and not the outfield basket being rattled by those fastballs when the regular season rolls around.