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Shota Imanaga 2024 Player Outlook: Crafty Left-Handed Veteran Making The Jump To MLB
10 months agoJapanese left-hander Shota Imanaga is making the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball in 2024 as a member of the Chicago Cubs after signing a four-year, $53 million deal. Imanaga is already 30 years old after pitching for the Yokohama BayStars since 2016, where he posted a 2.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 174 strikeouts in 148 innings last year. The southpaw's arsenal consists of a fastball that sits at 92-94 mph, a slider, curveball and split-fingered changeup. Imanaga isn't dominant by any means and relies on pinpoint control and some nasty movement when on the mound. Because he probably isn't going to miss many bats in the majors in the States, keeping the ball in the yard is going to be important in his first MLB season, which could be difficult to do at Wrigley Field. Imanaga will be guaranteed a rotation spot for the Cubs and figures to be more of a matchup-based streamer in deep fantasy leagues in 2024. ATC has the Japanese import projected to go 8-7 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 141 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched.
