On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs introduced that they had reached a tentative take care of Japanese free-agent pitcher Shota Imanaga. The settlement is pending a bodily, which Imanaga will bear on Tuesday in Chicago.
The phrases of the deal have but to be talked about, however it is a superb addition for the Cubs. Other than naming Craig Counsell the brand new supervisor for the 2024 season and past, they haven’t made a lot noise this offseason.
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Imanaga ought to immediately enhance the workforce’s rotation. He’s coming off the 2 finest seasons of his profession in Japan, throwing over 140 innings and compiling ERAs below 2.81.
He has no drawback retaining opposing hitters from barreling up balls. Imanaga led the NPB in strikeout fee and was the strikeout chief within the Central League. This shall be a pleasant change of surroundings for a workforce that has relied closely on groundball pitchers.
What does Shota Imanaga carry to the Cubs’ rotation?
Whereas not large in measurement, Shota Imanaga makes up for it together with his command, pitch repertoire, and motion. He has a number of pitches he can go to in his arsenal, making for a particularly powerful at-bat.
Imanaga throws his fastball more often than not, which sits at 92 mph. He has nice command of the pitch and may harm opposing batters up and down within the zone. He pairs that together with his tight slider that he also can mimic as a sweeper.
His splitter is probably going his most intriguing pitch. Given baseballs within the MLB and NPB are totally different, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see how effectively this pitch interprets to the large leagues. The opposite pitches he throws are a curveball, cutter, and changeup.
Search for him to behave as one of many Cubs’ aces as they attempt to contend for a World Series title.
