MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs veteran catcher Yan Gomes settled behind the plate Wednesday, getting eyes on Shota Imanaga as the left-hander stood on a bullpen mound at the team’s complex.
It marked the early stages of their pitcher-catcher relationship and gave Gomes, known for how well he manages a pitching staff, a hands-on look at Imanaga’s stuff.
Imanaga’s elite fastball movement makes the pitch play up more than the low-90s velocity might indicate. Gomes mentioned to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy after the bullpen that he felt himself squeezing his mitt where he thought the ball would be and wasn’t cleanly catching Imanaga’s fastballs. The pitch gets up on the plate quicker than assumed.
Gomes’ anecdote backed up what the Cubs’ data on Imanaga’s fastball showed.
Seeing his stuff, it’s come as advertised,” Hottovy said. “He’s got a really unique fastball, just trying to talk through ways we think he can continue to use it in effective ways and then just seeing the rest of the repertoire — he’s got a complete repertoire, a really complete package of a pitcher.”
Imanaga, 30, gives the Cubs another lefty in the rotation, and though like Justin Steele he is known for the distinct movement on his fastball, their pitch characteristics create separate challenges for opposing hitters. When comparing the two pitchers, Hottovy explained that while they possess similar arm paths and release heights, they couldn’t be more different with how their fastballs function. Steele utilizes
the side of the baseball and works through it to create cut ride with the pitch. Imanaga gets behind the baseball and pulls down more to generate his extreme vertical movement.
