Shota Imanaga DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga earned a no-decision in his first start of 2025, but he held the powerful Dodgers' lineup hitless for four innings. He issued a pair of back-to-back walks to start the second inning and two more in the fourth inning but was able to avoid any damage. He struck out Teoscar Hernandez for the first strikeout of the MLB season and finished with two strikeouts on the day. He ended up throwing 69 pitches to get through four innings, so he'll need to improve his efficiency and cut down on walks going forward to go deeper into games. Aside from that, though, the 31-year-old lefty looked great in his first start of his second MLB season and will look to anchor the Cubs rotation once again this season. The Cubs start the stateside part of their schedule Thursday, March 27, with a four-game set in Arizona. The team has not announced its plans yet, but Imanaga will likely get his second start in that series.

The Chicago Cubs announced on Tuesday that left-hander Shota Imanaga will start on Opening Day on March 18 in Tokyo, Japan, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Imanaga exceeded expectations in his first year in the big leagues in 2024, making the All-Star team while going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA (3.72 FIP), 1.02 WHIP and 174:28 K:BB in 173 1/3 innings over his 29 starts. The 31-year-old southpaw came with less fanfare than Japanese righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who he is likely to square off against in Tokyo, but he excelled by limiting hard contact and posting an impressive 4.0 percent walk rate. Imanaga returned excellent value for those that took a chance on him last year, but considering his low .264 BABIP and 3.72 FIP, it would be wise to expect some regression in Year 2. Still, Imanaga is worth drafting as a No. 2 fantasy starting pitcher in 2025.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga will start one of the games in the Tokyo series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Craig Counsell said, "Yes, Shota's going to pitch in Japan. I think that's mandated. I don't think I have a choice." Fantasy managers should expect Justin Steele to get the starting nod in the other game of the series. Imanaga made his MLB debut last season and looked quite comfortable, posting a 2.91 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP. He struck out 174 batters across 173 1/3 innings. Imanaga showed elite command of his pitches as he posted a near-perfect four percent walk rate. However, Imanaga generated ground balls at a low 37.2 percent rate, which could cause him some regression for the 2025 season. However, given his elite command, he is a great target when looking to improve your WHIP ratio. He will have a difficult task facing a potent Dodgers lineup in this series, but he should be started in all formats.