Both sides hit him about the same
40% of the contact right-handers make against Imai is hit hard, against 64.7% of what left-handers make.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
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.
He handles both hands about the same
Right-handed hitters project to a .303 average against Imai and left-handers to .433.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
The shape of the contact off him says how he gets outs
53.1% of the contact against Imai is on the ground and 25% of it is in the air.
32 tracked batted balls allowed.
Runners on base do not change how he is hit
42.9% of the contact against Imai with a runner in scoring position is hit hard, against 56% with the bases empty.
61 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 224 with the bases empty.
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.
One side of the plate does most of the damage against him
Right-handed hitters average 86.5 mph off the bat against Imai and left-handers 93.5.
15 tracked batted balls from right-handers, 17 from left-handers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
Both sides hit him about the same
40% of the contact right-handers make against Imai is hit hard, against 64.7% of what left-handers make.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
He handles both hands about the same
Right-handed hitters project to a .303 average against Imai and left-handers to .433.
114 pitches to right-handed hitters, 171 to left-handed hitters.
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
The shape of the contact off him says how he gets outs
53.1% of the contact against Imai is on the ground and 25% of it is in the air.
32 tracked batted balls allowed.
One side of the plate does most of the damage against him
Right-handed hitters average 86.5 mph off the bat against Imai and left-handers 93.5.
15 tracked batted balls from right-handers, 17 from left-handers.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
Runners on base do not change how he is hit
42.9% of the contact against Imai with a runner in scoring position is hit hard, against 56% with the bases empty.
61 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 224 with the bases empty.
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.
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 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 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.
Astros