This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MESA, Ariz. -- There is usually a small amount of media observing bullpen sessions at Cubs camp on any given morning in Spring Training. The scene on Wednesday was less common. The line of cameras and reporters spanned nearly the entire length of the sidewalk that runs adjacent to the main practice mounds.
The focus of everyone’s attention was lefty Shota Imanaga, who methodically worked through his delivery and fired pitches to veteran catcher Yan Gomes. Imanaga came to the Cubs last month via a four-year, $53 million contract to help shore up a rotation that will be critical in Chicago’s chances of pushing for the playoffs.
“Just seeing his stuff, I think it's come as advertised,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “It's just a really unique fastball. We're just trying to talk through ways we think he can continue to use it in effective ways. And then just seeing the rest of the repertoire, he's got a complete repertoire. He's a really complete package of a pitcher.”
Imanaga is known for his splitter, but he also features a slider and curve. The lefty said on Wednesday morning via an interpreter that he anticipates an adjustment period with the latter two breaking pitches this spring as he gets used to throwing the ball used in the Majors. As for his fastball, the pitch sits in the mid-90s range with high spin.
Looking at data from Imanaga’s outings in the World Baseball Classic, the 5-foot-10 Imanaga averaged 94.4 mph with a spin rate of 2,566 rpm. In the 2023 MLB season, lefty starters averaged 92.9 mph with 2,234 rpm on four-seam fastballs. Hottovy said Imanaga’s heater has a rising effect, which can toy with a hitter’s timing.
“The way he pitches and the movement he creates,” Hottovy said, “it's going to play harder than it seems, right? It's just one of those rising, riding fastballs that never seem to come down. Yan caught him today and even mentioned that he just felt like he was squeezing where he thought the ball was going to be, and it kind of wasn't clean. It, like, rattled a little bit.
“He was like, ‘Man, it does get on you. It gets there a little quicker than you assume.’ I think from a data perspective, you kind of see that, but then to hear that from the catcher [is good feedback].”
While Gomes agreed that the lefty’s fastball comes “as advertised” after Wednesday’s session, the veteran catcher felt his main task right now was to learn Imanaga’s personality more than his pitches.
“I've just got to get to know him and then we'll take the next step when that time comes of working on pitches,” Gomes said. “I know him and Tommy and those guys have been working really hard on that already. But my purpose right now is just to get to know him.”