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Shota Imanaga 2025 Player Outlook: Poised For Strong Sophomore Campaign With Elite Command
21 mins agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga smashed all expectations during his debut campaign as he posted a stellar 15-3 record with a 2.91 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 173 ⅓ innings of work. He held an excellent 28:174 BB:K ratio. Under the hood, he generated an impressive 34.8% chase rate, an above-average 28.3% whiff rate, and a 25.1% K rate. In addition, he boasted a minuscule 4.0% walk rate, placing him in the 97th percentile among qualified pitchers. However, he did allow a relatively high 8.6% barrel rate and 39.3% hard-hit rate, which suggests that his ERA could climb slightly this summer. However, fantasy managers should not be overly concerned, given his near-perfect command, as he will likely be able to limit his damage given his low walk rate. In 2025, fantasy managers should expect Imanaga to continue to operate as the No.2 option in the Chicago rotation and should be in a position to tally double-digit wins once again, given the rather weak NL Central. He is a solid SP3 at his current 73.27 ADP when looking to boost your WHIP ratio.
