RADIO
Shota Imanaga is a fantasy baseball draft sleeper prospect pitcher, and an ADP draft value for 2024. Target Imanaga as an undervalued SP in fantasy drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 195
CURRENT ADP: ~205 overall
ANALYSIS: With Yoshinobu Yamamoto the real headline free agent from Japan, there hasn't been much fanfare around Imanaga. After signing with the Cubs in January, he now seems to be garnering plenty of interest. If we take a look at his arsenal and his numbers in NPB, it's easy to see why.
| Year | G | IP | W | L | ERA | K | BB |
| 2016 | 22 | 135.1 | 8 | 9 | 2.93 | 136 | 38 |
| 2017 | 24 | 148.0 | 11 | 7 | 2.98 | 140 | 52 |
| 2018 | 23 | 84.2 | 4 | 11 | 6.80 | 80 | 38 |
| 2019 | 25 | 170.0 | 13 | 7 | 2.91 | 186 | 56 |
| 2020 | 9 | 53.0 | 5 | 3 | 3.23 | 63 | 17 |
| 2021 | 19 | 120.0 | 5 | 5 | 3.08 | 110 | 26 |
| 2022 | 21 | 143.2 | 11 | 4 | 2.26 | 132 | 29 |
| 2023 | 22 | 148.0 | 7 | 4 | 2.80 | 174 | 24 |
| Career | 165 | 1,002.2 | 64 | 50 | 3.18 | 1021 | 280 |
The lefty throws a fastball that sits around 94-95 mph, a splitter, a slider, and a curveball. Providing they all play as well in the U.S. as they have done in Japan, he shouldn't have issues getting out right-handed hitters. His fastball also has a decent spin rate, averaging ~2,500 RPM. The MLB left-handed starters averaged ~2,200 RPM (credit to David Adler for those numbers).
Shōta Imanaga's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/J5dNniMSIt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 8, 2024
Imanaga is 30 years old, so he still has a few years ahead of him. He hasn't been heavily worked considering some MLB workloads and there are plenty of positives from the last couple of seasons. His 174 Ks in 148.0 IP this past season certainly stands out. And walking only 24 hitters is equally impressive. With an ADP of ~205, Imanaga is going late enough that even with quite a bit of regression, he can still prove to be a fantasy valuable pitcher.
More Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Sleepers
Logan Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Monitor in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Milwaukee Brewers called up their No. 12 prospect, Logan Henderson, earlier this week to give the team another fresh arm. The Brewers are dealing with injuries to Nestor Cortes (elbow), Aaron Civale (hamstring), Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), and Tobias Myers (oblique) early in the […]
Edgar Quero - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team / Two-Catcher Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Chicago White Sox called up their No. 6 prospect, Edgar Quero, on Thursday afternoon to make his MLB debut. Quero was acquired by the White Sox at the 2023 trade deadline in the deal that sent both Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo […]
Caleb Durbin - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Consider in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 6% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted infielder Caleb Durbin, who MLB Pipeline ranked as their No. 21 prospect coming into the season. Durbin will make his MLB debut on Friday night, batting ninth against J.T. Ginn and the Athletics. Before the game, manager Pat […]
Noelvi Marte - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Monitor in Deeper Leagues ROSTERED IN: 2% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds infielder Noelvi Marte has spent time in both the majors and minors this season. He originally started the year with Triple-A Louisville before being called up when Matt McLain went down with a hamstring injury. However, the Reds former top prospect only […]
Chandler Simpson - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Prospect Stashes (Week 4)
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 6% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The Tampa Bay Rays are promoting their No. 7 prospect, Chandler Simpson, ahead of the team's series opener against the New York Yankees. The move appears to be connected to Richie Palacios heading back to the injured list with a knee issue. It will […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
