Astros New Arm Tatsuya Imai Impressing Teammates During BP

Tatsuya Imai signing with the Houston Astros this offseason came to many people's surprise. The Astros aren't necessarily known for signing international Japanese players, given their history. The last Japanese player they signed was infielder Kazuo Matsui nearly 20 years ago.

After acquiring Yusei Kikuchi via trade two seasons ago along with replacing their ballpark name to Daikin Park, named after a Japanese company, strategies have shifted to sign more players from Asia. Hence the reasoning behind throwing a bone to the Japanese righthander attuned to three years, $54 billion.

Imai's First Impressions

Since the start of spring training, Imai has slowly connected with fellow teammates, including Ryan Weiss, who also played baseball in Asia before acquired by the Astros. Other teammates have anticipated teeing off Imai's pitches in batting practice.

Unexpectedly, baseball fans and Japan media watched from the sidelines, making this an impromptu must see event. According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros rookie was initially nervous as well, facing All-Stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, along with teammates Nick Allen, Jake Meyers, and Taylor Trammell.

Feedback From Astros Teammates

Taylor Trammell on Imai's splitter: "Be honest with you, I played this game for 24 years now and 11 professionally and I’ve never seen a pitch like that before in my life."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) February 20, 2026

So far, Imai's pitches have apparently blown away teammates. Altuve for example, made remarks on his slider, a pitch that exhibited unexpected movement. The three-time batting champion only saw two pitches, but can already see how much impact his new teammate will bring to Houston.

Trammell in particular was bewildered by Imai's splitter, saying, "Be honest with you, I played this game for 24 years now and 11 professionally, and I’ve never seen a pitch like that before in my life."

Correa also chimed in, comparing Imai's fastball-splitter combo to Dodgers hurler and World Series champion Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Overall, the 27-year-old was perfect in his live BP, facing five batters over 17 pitches, while striking out three.

Surrounded by Japanese media, baseball fans, and his team, the feedback from his fellow teammates helped ease his nerves, promoting confidence in his live BP performance and arsenal of pitches.

Being compared to Yamamoto, who has already made a significant impact in the big leagues, becoming an All-Star and securing a World Series ring in just a couple of seasons, is a fantastic compliment. Add to the fact that Yamamoto signed a massive 12-year deal worth $325 million in 2023 as a rookie, compared to Imai's short term $54 million deal.

It also speaks volumes to Imai as a player. Money didn't seem like the primary factor in signing with a team. Speculating where he would go in the offseason, the Japanese native vocally spoke out that he wants to beat the Dodgers.

Eventually signing with the Astros could not have been a more perfect choice, given Houston and LA's rivalry dating back to 2017.