Chicago Cubs Rookie Pitcher Receives Exceptional Grade for 2024

What grade should Shota Imanaga receive in his rookie season with the Chicago Cubs?

Sep 16, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-Imagn Images

While the Chicago Cubs have had a disappointing 2024 overall, there have been some bright spots for the team. 

In the extremely competitive National League this season, the Cubs are almost certainly going to be missing the playoffs once again this season, after just narrowly missing in 2023. Despite being over .500 in the second half of the season, Chicago was never really able to make any significant noise in the playoff picture this season. 

Finishing over .500 should be the main goal of the organization now, as they will head into the offseason trying to find ways to improve and take another step forward. However, while the season might not be a success by their standards, they, of course, had some bright spots. 

Arguably, the biggest bright spot on the team was the performance of rookie pitcher Shota Imanaga. Recently, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report handed out rookie grades to some first-year players and Imanaga received a fantastic grade of an ‘A-‘ this year. 

“Shota Imanaga isn't like the other names on this list in the sense that he pitched eight professional seasons in Japan before making the jump to Major League Baseball. But even though Imanaga just turned 31, he is still a rookie as far as MLB is concerned, and he's been one of the very best. An All-Star in 2024, Imanaga has gone 13-3 with a 3.03 ERA and NL-best 6.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's also logged more than 160 innings, which is one of the benefits of having previously pitched professionally in another league.”

The rookie pitcher from Japan has had an exceptional transition to the majors. At 31-years-old, Imanaga is a lot older than most other rookies in baseball this season, but he has been able to successfully navigate the move from Japan with ease from a production standpoint. 

This year, the right-hander is leading a very good starting rotation for the Cubs in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Considering Chicago has four starters with ERA’s under 4.00, it is really impressive to see what Imanaga has been able to accomplish this season. 

As the franchise begins to think about next season, they will likely start by trying to once again bolster their lineup this offseason. With a strong rotation led by a talented rookie, the Cubs should be very pleased with what they have in that department. 

For Imanaga, it has been an excellent first season in the big leagues, and the grade of an ‘A-‘ is certainly well-deserved.