2024 Stats
W-L
13-3
ERA
3.03
WHIP
1.02
K
159
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Imanaga is a 30-year-old lefthanded starting pitcher who was with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball since 2016. He was posted by his former club and is slated to make his MLB debut this season. Imanaga recorded a 2.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 2023, fanning 174 in 148 innings. He throws a four-seam that's been reported between 92- and 94-mph, a slider, curveball, and split-finger changeup. The key to his success is fastball command and the effectiveness of his split-finger offering. Imanaga pitched for Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was deemed to possess the best Stuff+ by the Athletics Eno Sarris. Imanaga's main concern is he carried a high home run rate, especially relative to some of the other pitchers coming to MLB from Japan. He'll be working in bigger parks, but also facing better hitters. Chances are, Imanaga's ability to keep the ball in the yard will drive his major league success. He's expected to fill a mid-rotation role but shouldn't be expected to make more than 25 or 26 starts as he transitions to his new environment. Read Past Outlooks
Earns win despite homer issues
Imanaga (13-3) got the win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four over seven innings. He did not issue a walk.
ANALYSIS
Imanaga was hurt by the long ball, as he allowed three solo home runs, including two home runs to Tommy Edman. Imanaga was awarded a fourth straight victory after the Cubs rallied in the eighth for five runs to put him in line for the win. The lefty has now reached seven innings in three of his last four starts and Tuesday marked his eighth start this season without a walk. He owns a 3.03 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 159:25 K:BB in 160.1 innings and lines up for a home start against Oakland to begin next week.
Imanaga was hurt by the long ball, as he allowed three solo home runs, including two home runs to Tommy Edman. Imanaga was awarded a fourth straight victory after the Cubs rallied in the eighth for five runs to put him in line for the win. The lefty has now reached seven innings in three of his last four starts and Tuesday marked his eighth start this season without a walk. He owns a 3.03 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 159:25 K:BB in 160.1 innings and lines up for a home start against Oakland to begin next week.
Pitching Stats
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2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
86
Last 10 Games
92
Last 5 Games
95
How many pitches does Shota Imanaga generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Shota Imanaga generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-15%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-15%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022vs Left | .198 | 37 | 3 | 25 | 5 | |||
| Since 2022vs Right | .232 | 122 | 22 | 113 | 21 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .198 | 37 | 3 | 25 | 5 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .232 | 122 | 22 | 113 | 21 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-7%
ERA at Home
2024
-7%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022Home | 2.93 | 0.90 | 83.0 | 10.3 | 1.0 | ||||
| Since 2022Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.93 | 0.90 | 83.0 | 10.3 | 1.0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2022Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Shota Imanaga compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
6.36K/9
8.9BB/9
1.4HR/9
1.5Fastball
91.7 mphERA
3.03WHIP
1.02BABIP
.276GB/FB
0.84Left On Base
78.2%Exit Velocity
80.5 mphBarrels/BBE
5.2%Spin Rate
2035 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
22.2%Swinging Strike
14.9%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Sets tone in combined no-no
Imanaga (12-3) pitched seven innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two without allowing a run to earn the win over the Pirates on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Wins with quality start
Imanaga (11-3) allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out eight and earning a win over Washington.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up 10th win
Imanaga (10-3) got the victory Saturday in a 14-2 win against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on four hits in six innings, walking two and fanning three batters.
ANALYSIS
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Hard-luck loss Sunday
Imanaga (9-3) allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Blue Jays.
ANALYSIS
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Only lasts five innings
Imanaga did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing seven runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk over five innings against the Guardians. He struck out three.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Excelling with rare splitter
According to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Imanaga is one of only 16 left-handed starting pitchers to throw a splitter since 2008, with his 30.3 percent usage being the highest.
ANALYSIS
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.