The Chicago Cubs‘ strong start has been headlined by elite starting pitching. Despite an injury to their ace Justin Steele, the Cubs rotation has been performing at a high level. Shōta Imanaga has been a key contributor to the Cubs’ early success. Imanaga’s four-seam fastball has been the “most valuable pitch in baseball” this season, according to MLB.com’s David Adler.
Imanaga is 5-0 through six starts and has a .078 ERA. He has struck out 35 hitters through 34 2/3 innings of work. The Cubs signed the 30-year-old to a four-year, $53 million deal out of Japan in free agency.
Imanaga’s four-seamer averages 92.1 mph while the MLB average is 94 mph. Despite a lower velocity, Imanaga’s fastball has proven to be one of the most effective pitches in the majors.
Imanaga’s Fastball
In an era where every pitcher is concerned with high velocity, Imanaga is dominating with below-average velocity. His four-seamer has prevented +9 runs. He is tied with Los Angeles Dodgers Tyler Galsnow’s four-seamer for the most runs prevented, according to Adler on May 7.
“I just have to make sure I’m not throwing lazy fastballs,” Imanaga said via Cubs interpreter Edwin Stanberry after his May 1 start.
Glasnow’s fastball averages 96.3 mph, but Imanaga sits atop the runs-prevented leaderboard. Adler credits the rise Imanaga gets out of his fastball as well as the threat of his splitter. Imanaga gets 3.4 inches of rise above average, according to Adler. This is the third most in the majors.
Imanaga’s lack of velocity makes it tougher for him to blow his fastball by hitters. However, the results are all that matter, and the results speak for themselves.
“Imanaga’s four-seamer doesn’t generate huge swing-and-miss numbers (his whiff rate is 21.2%), but opposing hitters are batting just .137 against it. That’s the fourth-lowest batting average allowed by any pitcher with at least 50 plate appearances decided on his fastball,” wrote Adler.
“It’s a result of just thinking about: ‘How can I get to the level of MLB pitchers?’” Imanaga told MLB.com. “I know that, for me, it’s gonna be hard to beat them based on velocity. So if I have something else where I can, not even necessarily try to get ahead of them, but just be even with them. That’s what I want.”
Imanaga’s Splitter
“Imanaga relies heavily on his four-seamer to start at-bats, and he’s extremely fastball-heavy if he falls behind. But that rarely happens. Imanaga gets ahead at one of the highest rates among starting pitchers — he’s been ahead in the count for over a third of the pitches he’s thrown in the big leagues,” wrote Adler
When he’s ahead Imanaga will lean on his splitter and hitters “don’t know what’s coming, fastball or splitter,” wrote Adler.
Adler noted the rarity of a southpaw throwing a splitter constantly. With Imanaga, the Cubs have the first pitcher since Aríel Miranda in 2017 to regularly throw a splitter. The threat of the splitter keeps hitters on edge when looking for the fastball, making up for the lower velocity.
Imanaga doesn’t view his left-handed splitter as an advantage. He feels like it’s just another pitch in his arsenal.
“Personally, I don’t think about it as an advantage,” Imanaga said. “It’s just something that I know is unique to me. So if the people around me can figure out the advantages of that, that’s great.”
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