Chicago Cubs Rookie Star Receives New Elite Ranking

When the Chicago Cubs signed starting pitcher Shota Imanaga this offseason, no one truly understood just how big of a move it would end up being.

Not only has Imanaga been good throughout his rookie season, he has turned into one of the top rising stars in baseball.

So far this season with the Cubs, Imanaga has started in 24 games. He has compiled a 10-3 record to go along with a 3.08 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, a 6.4 K/BB ratio, and 140.1 innings pitched.

Bleacher Report recently ranked the top 25 rookies in baseball for the 2024 season. The star rookie left-hander received the No. 3 ranking on the list.

They also pointed out that outside of two starts this season, Imanaga's numbers have been much better than his overall statistics suggest.

"If not for two terrible starts during the first half of the season when he allowed a combined 19 hits and 17 earned runs across 7.1 total innings, his strong overall numbers would look even better. With those two duds removed from the mix, he has a 2.10 ERA in 133 innings over his other 22 appearances, and his 14 quality starts slot in just ahead of Paul Skenes (13) to lead all rookie pitchers."

Ahead of him on the list were just Jackson Merrill and Paul Skenes. To be listed above the rest of the talented rookies in baseball shows just how good Imanaga has truly been for Chicago.

Looking ahead to the future, the presence of Imanaga has given the Cubs one of the most talented rotations in baseball.

Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad are all projected to start in 2025 for Chicago. Those four will give them a huge chance to contend if the offense can improve.

At 30 years old, Imanaga still has plenty of time left to play at an elite level. He's signed through the 2028 season at a very team-friendly price.

Jed Hoyer has received a lot of criticism for the job that he has done in the Cubs' front office, but this move was one of the biggest wins from last offseason throughout the entire league, if not the biggest. He deserves a lot of credit for going all-in with Imanaga.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see if Imanaga can keep up his impressive production next season. He has already become one of the best pitchers in baseball and the sky seems to be the limit for him moving forward.