The puzzled seems to be on the faces of hitters as they return to the dugout inform the story of Shota Imanaga’s first two months within the majors. The 30-year-old Chicago Cubs left-hander has taken the mound 9 occasions towards 9 completely different opponents — and none have been capable of determine him out.
After signing a four-year, $53 million contract this offseason, Imanaga has stymied baseball’s high sluggers on his strategy to an MLB-best 0.84 ERA. However essentially the most irritating half for batters is that Imanaga’s stuff seems to be very hittable — till it is not.
“Man, I do not know,” San Diego Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts mentioned after his group misplaced to the Cubs with Imanaga on the mound. “I believed we had been going to sq. him up.”
Standing simply 5-foot-10, Imanaga will not be notably intimidating on the mound, and he does not throw very laborious — a fastball that is available in round 92 mph — however there’s one thing about his supply and launch level that’s making the opposition look foolish.
Whereas that fastball is pedestrian in an period of high-velocity aces, the pitch’s motion coming from his misleading supply is giving the opposition matches, to the tune of a .164 batting common. Braves bench coach Walt Weiss referred to as it an “optical phantasm,” and Atlanta’s hitters agreed after being held scoreless for 5 innings by Imanaga earlier this month.
“His fastball performs up so everytime you attempt to get on him, you foul it off,” Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies mentioned. “Most participant’s swing is to elevate the ball and if it has that little trip, you foul it off or swing and miss. That is what performs nice for him.”
Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson added: “He hides the ball rather well. It performs more durable than what the radar gun is saying. And he has actually good trip on his fastball. It comes from behind his head.”
What has made Imanaga much more troublesome to determine is the pitch he pairs with that rising four-seamer: an 83 mph splitter that drops in the wrong way.
“This man goes to present hitting coaches nightmares,” Pittsburgh Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton mentioned after his group misplaced 1-0 to Imanaga. “The fastball will not be 94-95, nevertheless it’s efficient. The separator is the splitter seems to be like a strike. Even the splits he throws within the zone which can be strikes have a lot motion. And there’s a lot of deception within the supply.”
The scariest half for opposing groups is perhaps that Imanaga hasn’t even used his full arsenal but. He possesses a slider and curveball that he’ll possible escape as soon as he has to face a group for a second time. Earlier than taking the mound towards the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday — his tenth completely different opponent — he was requested if he was stunned by his early-season success.
“I am extra stunned than anybody in Japan,” he mentioned via the group interpreter. “I am very stunned.”
There was motive to imagine that Imanaga’s magic might work towards one of the best MLB lineups — he did one thing comparable for Crew Japan in the course of the 2023 World Baseball Traditional.
Pitching on the identical employees as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, it was Imanaga who bought the beginning towards america within the championship recreation.
As he navigated the highest of a lineup that includes Mookie Betts, Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt, one Crew USA star mentioned one thing within the dugout that’s positive to resonate with any hitter who has stepped in able to tee off towards Imanaga solely to stroll again questioning what went incorrect after the at-bat:
“That man will not be superb, however he’s unhittable.”
The Cubs can thank Imanaga’s brokers at Octagon for MLB’s finest free agent addition up to now this season finally selecting Chicago — each for his or her negotiating and a few easy geography.
When Imanaga arrived from Japan final October, he determined to spend the offseason close to his brokers, who’re based mostly in Chicago.
Imanaga stayed removed from the town, in a suburb west of Wrigley Discipline, for a number of months as he waited for his free company to warmth up, because it lastly did after his WBC teammate Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in late December.
The Boston Purple Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros had been among the many suitors for Imanaga. The San Francisco Giants additionally confirmed curiosity, however Imanaga’s choice advanced as he listened to groups by way of Zoom calls all through his negotiating window, which opened in late November.
“He got here in with one objective, to match with the group that would make him higher,” one in all his brokers, Lou Jon Nero mentioned. “On the finish of the day, all of it sort of began to sound the identical.”
When contract presents began coming in, it grew to become clear that the largest issue could be the place Imanaga would really feel most comfy. The Cubs confirmed they could possibly be that group, partly as a result of they put in work early on: President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer flew to Japan in September to see Imanaga pitch in individual. He calls Imanaga a ‘information’ success story together with his in-person view matching what the group hoped to see on the mound.
“You are not going over there blind,” Hoyer mentioned. “All of our pitch information on his fastball was actually good.”
These months spent exploring the Chicagoland space additionally performed a job. Imanaga discovered a Japanese market he preferred and took Ubers to an area mall. He acted extra like a vacationer then somebody ready to turn out to be a millionaire in Main League Baseball.
“I got here right here and so they had been enjoying soccer,” he mentioned of a Northwestern/Iowa faculty recreation held at Wrigley Discipline in November. “I noticed that dwelling plate was coated. And so they mentioned the scoreboard was actually outdated. I preferred it.”
As soon as Imanaga’s brokers expressed critical curiosity to the Cubs, Chicago’s entrance workplace supplied him a four-year deal that included a group choice for a fifth yr, which might deliver the overall package deal to $80 million. If Imanaga can hold baffling hitters like he has in his first two months, selecting up that fifth yr turns into a no brainer.
“I had different selections, however I just like the Cubs,” Imanaga mentioned of his new dwelling. “I adore it right here. The followers have been tremendous supportive. I am grateful to be a Cub.”