The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a tough spot after elbow surgery ended the season for lefty ace, Justin Steele.
Replacing their most consistently excellent starter won’t be an easy task, although the team has continued to perform very well, despite his absence. Sooner or later, it’s believed that swing men and young, mostly unproven arms won’t be enough to fill that top-of-rotation spot.
But, for now, there seems to be no panic among the team, coaching, or the front office.
In part, that calmness has been fostered by the Cubs incredibly improved offense and its 6+ runs per game so far this season. The team’s defense has also been as shutdown good as expected. There’s been some encouragement, as well, from closer Ryan Pressly seemingly settling into his game-finishing role.
The Chicago Cubs’ Other Lefty Ace
Apr 15, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Just as important as all of the above, perhaps, is the fact that the Cubs have another lefty ace putting up stellar top-of-rotation numbers.
Japanese stat Shota Imanaga has had an incredible sophomore year thus far, arguably even outshining in some ways his outstanding all-star rookie season, which he finished with a 15-3 record and a 2.91 ERA.
After five starts in 2025, Imanaga is 2-1, with a 2.22 ERA and an excellent ,988 WHIP.
There was a belief among many that the 31-year-old would be in for a more humbling sophomore season, with numbers more in line with a strong middle-of-rotation starter. However, as of this very early stage of the 2025 campaign, the former Yokohama DeNA BayStars standout looks similarly dazzling to last year.
Shota Imanaga Is On Fire
Jeremy Trottier of Sports Illustrated, using info culled from Baseball Savant, recently showcased the southpaw’s excellence and offered up a possible explanation for him staying ahead of the game.
Per Trottier:
“In terms of pitchers who have faced at least 100 batters this season, he ranks at the top of the list in swing percentage, with 56.4% of his pitches being swung at according to Baseball Savant. In addition, he is also generating high swing and miss numbers, with a 27.8% whiff rate, good for a tie at No. 24 among the same group of MLB pitchers.
The most intriguing part about this is why he has found so much success, and it heavily revolves around his utilization of the four-seam fastball.
This season his four-seamer is averaging 19.3 inches of induced vertical break (3.0 inches more than comparable pitches around the MLB) and 11.9 inches of induced horizontal break (3.9 inches more than comparable).
This type of movement allows him to rotate and mix his pitches to give similar looks with different ending points at the point of contact, which is something typically seen with the most elite pitchers in the league.”
The Importance Of Being Imanaga
All of this has contributed to Imanaga excelling at generating swings. Trottier theorizes that a technical tweak involving his arm angle has opened up more and varied movement for his pitches.
Whatever the case, Imanaga has become a superior asset coming out to start every fifth game. His stellar performances could not have come at a better time in the season, with the Cubs’ schedule filled with playoff-caliber teams and after having lost Steele for the year.
Of course, it’ll take more than one starting pitcher to push the Cubs forward as a playoff-serious team. But performances like Imanaga’s (and Matthew Boyd’s) can be contagious. The 25-year-old Ben Brown, for instance, has now turned in consecutive killer outings. Veteran Colin Rea has also been excellent.
Whether Chicago adds another elite-level starter or not, Imanaga’s presence will continue to be crucial to the Cubs’ success. So far, he has most definitely not disappointed.
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