Shota Imanaga arrived in Chicago just before Christmas in 2023. The countdown to sign him was about to commence. While the baseball world was wondering where his fellow countryman Yoshinibu Yamamoto would wind up, "The Throwing Philosopher" was hiding under the radar and getting a lay of the land. Landing in Chicago wasn't a forgone conclusion by any means. It just so happened to be where his agency is based out of. Those few weeks in the Windy City were enough for Shota to fall in love with the city. When it came time to meet Jed Hoyer & Carter Hawkins, Imanaga believed this organization was right for him.
The Cubs landed last year's Nippon League strikeout leader on a four year/$53 million dollar deal, compared to Yamamoto's 12 year/$325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would arguably be the Cubs' best 2024 off-season addition (Michael Busch might like a word...), and with the first half of the season in the books, Imanaga's contract looks like an absolute steal.
Shota would later make waves at his introductory press conference, where the first words out of his mouth would be the chorus to "Go Cubs Go," followed by a statement in English. Mr Imanaga clearly did his homework, but he didn't stop there. He saw what Ben Zobrist did for the 2016 World Series Champions Cubs and picked No. 18 to honor the Cubs legend. That was all incredibly endearing, but the major question surrounding him was: Could Imanaga keep the ball in the stadium?
Imanaga would waste no time in answering that question. He went four starts before giving up an earned run. He even got tagged by the lowly Mets for eight runs in June and still left the game with an ERA under 3, thanks to a dominant start. The moment is not too big for him, as proven by his World Baseball Classic performance in which he and Shohei Ohtani led Japan to victory over an impressive USA lineup.
The Cubs' 2024 season clearly hasn't gone how GM Jed Hoyer envisioned it, but through it all, Shota has been more than a bright spot. He was chosen as the lone Cubs representative to the All-Star Game. Who is he most looking forward to facing from the mound? "Aaron Judge," he told reporters Tuesday morning. All eyes should tune in to see if he gets his wish when the NL takes on the AL later tonight in Arlington, Texas, at the 2024 All-Star Game.
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