MESA, Ariz. — When Shota Imanaga arrived at camp final spring, the Japanese pitcher was grateful for the way a lot his new Cubs teammates and the ballclub’s employees embraced him and made him really feel comfy. This spring, Imanaga is trying ahead to seeing the gamers have the prospect to now embrace his dwelling and tradition.
“For the employees, the coaches, gamers with the Cubs,” Imanaga stated by way of his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, on Monday, “I feel it’s a beautiful alternative for them to essentially really feel and perceive how nice Japan is and perceive the tradition and the traditions over there.”
Imanaga will even take the mound within the Tokyo Dome following a exceptional rookie marketing campaign with the Cubs, who signed him to a four-year, $53 million contract final winter. It was laborious to know the way the left-hander would fare within the Main Leagues, even along with his eight spectacular years with Yokohama in Nippon Skilled Baseball.
“He might do the identical factor; that’d be nice,” Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell stated. “Look, he’s handed and excelled at, actually, each problem that’s been put in entrance of him. That’s what he did final 12 months. He’s received to do it once more.”
Evidently, Imanaga shattered expectations final 12 months.
“I can’t say I exceeded my very own expectations,” Imanaga stated.
That’s as a result of the 31-year-old Imanaga — nicknamed the “Pitching Thinker” prior to creating the transfer to the Main Leagues — is at all times trying to find avenues for enchancment. Sure, Imanaga went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA whereas racking up 174 strikeouts to solely 28 walks in 173 1/3 innings. Even so, he sees areas to repair.
Imanaga identified that Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned in a 2.8 fWAR in solely 18 begins (90 innings) in his rookie 12 months in 2024. Even with greater than 80 additional innings on the books, Imanaga ended with 3.0 fWAR. A part of that is because of the truth that the Cubs lefty yielded 27 homers (1.4 homers per 9 innings, in comparison with Yamamoto’s 0.7 HR/9).
“I want to surrender much less dwelling runs. I have to get my strikeout numbers increased,” Imanaga stated. “Which means the standard of the begins are going to be higher. I feel taking a look at all these [numbers], I discovered, ‘OK, that is what I have to work on for subsequent season.’”
Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy smiled when requested about Imanaga’s crucial self-assessment.
“He’s a pupil of the sport, proper? That’s one factor we’ve at all times recognized about him,” Hottovy stated. “That’s so refreshing to have a man who’s had success and in addition needs to proceed to get higher, however is aware of what his basis is and is aware of what’s going to make him profitable.”
Imanaga initiatives to be a fixture within the Cubs’ rotation, alongside Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd. Chicago has a gaggle of arms within the combine for begins behind that group, however the Cubs might additionally nonetheless look so as to add somebody by way of commerce. Final month, additionally they made a run at Japanese pitching prospect Roki Sasaki, who opted to signal with the Dodgers.
Imanaga stated he didn’t get entangled within the Cubs’ pursuit of Sasaki.
“I didn’t actually speak to him in any respect,” Imanaga stated. “I’m only a man on the skin on this state of affairs. And it’s his determination.”
Imanaga is targeted on attempting to assist lead the Cubs to the postseason. That quest begins in Tokyo, the place the season-opening spectacle will function Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki on the Dodgers’ facet, and Imanaga and Suzuki on Chicago’s facet.
“I feel Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, they’re going to have loads larger cheers,” Imanaga stated. “However I need to inform the Japanese followers that, hopefully, they will cheer me and Seiya Suzuki as a lot as they do with them, too.”
