This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Imai goes to the slider: 58.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 33.5% the rest of the time.
91 two-strike pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Imai's sinker moves 18.1 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 94.8 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Imai's sinker leaves the bat at 94.0 mph, against 87.2 off his slider.
50 and 118 of them thrown.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Imai puts 43.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 36.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Imai releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
282 tracked release points, averaging 5.2 feet off the ground.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Imai works off the plate, with only 39.4% of his pitches in the zone, 17th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 445th in MLB.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Imai throws a strike on the first pitch 50.8% of the time.
65 plate appearances started in 2026.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
53.1% of the contact Imai gives up is hit hard, 6th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 506th in MLB.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Imai's stuff spins at 2,077 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
285 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 454th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Imai projects a .372 average, 12th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 12th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 471st in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Imai releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
192 tracked pitches in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Imai works with 3 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball and Sinker. The slider is 41.4% of everything he throws.
285 classified pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.7% of Imai's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
47 of 282 located pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Imai throws the sinker 24% of the time against left-handers and 7.9% against right-handers.
114 pitches to right-handers, 171 to left-handers.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Imai's 4-seam fastball carries 10.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
98 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Imai averages 90.7 mph across his arsenal, 66th percentile in the league.
285 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 184th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Imai's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 97.6.
98 thrown, 34.4% of his pitches.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Imai puts 51.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.5% when he is ahead.
85 located pitches behind, 81 ahead.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.2 mph off the bat against Imai, 25th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 403rd in MLB.
Even behind in the count he keeps hitters guessing
Behind in the count Imai throws a fastball 48.2% of the time, against 55.6% when he is ahead.
85 pitches behind in the count, 81 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Imai's slider spins at 2,223 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
118 thrown in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Imai goes to the slider: 58.2% of his two-strike pitches, against 33.5% the rest of the time.
91 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He falls behind hitters far too often
Imai throws a strike on the first pitch 50.8% of the time.
65 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Imai puts 51.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 39.5% when he is ahead.
85 located pitches behind, 81 ahead.
Even behind in the count he keeps hitters guessing
Behind in the count Imai throws a fastball 48.2% of the time, against 55.6% when he is ahead.
85 pitches behind in the count, 81 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Imai's sinker moves 18.1 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 94.8 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Imai's 4-seam fastball carries 10.6 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
98 thrown, averaging 94.7 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Imai's sinker leaves the bat at 94.0 mph, against 87.2 off his slider.
50 and 118 of them thrown.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Imai works with 3 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball and Sinker. The slider is 41.4% of everything he throws.
285 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Imai throws the sinker 24% of the time against left-handers and 7.9% against right-handers.
114 pitches to right-handers, 171 to left-handers.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Imai's 4-seam fastball averages 94.7 mph, and has touched 97.6.
98 thrown, 34.4% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Imai's slider spins at 2,223 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
118 thrown in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Imai puts 43.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 36.5% of his pitches to left-handers.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Imai releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 32 degrees above horizontal and 1.6 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
282 tracked release points, averaging 5.2 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Imai releases the ball 5.9 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
192 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Imai works off the plate, with only 39.4% of his pitches in the zone, 17th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 17th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 445th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Too much of the contact against him is loud
53.1% of the contact Imai gives up is hit hard, 6th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 6th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 506th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Imai projects a .372 average, 12th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 12th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 471st in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.2 mph off the bat against Imai, 25th percentile.
285 pitches in 2026. 25th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 403rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Imai's stuff spins at 2,077 rpm, 15th percentile in the league.
285 pitches in 2026. 15th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 454th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
16.7% of Imai's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
47 of 282 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Imai averages 90.7 mph across his arsenal, 66th percentile in the league.
285 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 184th in MLB.
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