NEWSLETTER
I thought this installment of power rankings from The Athletic was a bit more interesting than most, because not only did they do the, you know, power rankings part, they added a first month MVP for each team. The Cubs rank 7th overall, which is just nice to see. Seems fair.
For the other part, if you were asking me off-hand who the month one MVP has been, it’s Mike Tauchman. Easily. That’s just a gut thing, but the numbers also bear it out, with Tauchman hitting a team-leading .296/.432/.507/169 wRC+, and has been worth 1.0 WAR.
But that’s not who gets the nod at The Athletic, and hey, I think they made a reasonable pick, too:
- Chicago Cubs
Record: 18-11
Last Power Ranking: 9One-month MVP: Shota Imanaga
Some starting pitchers dream of finishing the season with more wins than walks — a feat accomplished just once in a qualified season since the Black Sox Scandal. (Kudos to Bret Saberhagen for the otherwise forgettable ’94 Mets.) Imanaga’s tracking there: four wins, three walks.
But he also dreams of finishing the season with more wins than earned runs allowed, which he’s also winning 4-3 so far this season. Despite middling fastball velocity, Imanaga generates swing-and-miss with that pitch and a huge amount of chase on his splitter and slider. He’s struck out 28 while walking just those three.
That ace-level performance so far this season has come in an area of need for the Cubs, who have placed Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hendricks on the IL recently. The team is 5-0 in Imanaga’s starts. — Tim Britton
Anyone wanting to give Shota Imanaga a lot of love for his incredible MLB debut so far, you’re not going to get an argument from me. I think if the season ended today, Imanaga should and would get a lot of support for NL Rookie of the Year honors.
On the season, Imanaga sports a second-best-in-MLB 0.98 ERA (min 25.0 IP), and his 2.40 FIP is eighth best. He has been worth 0.9 WAR according to FanGraphs, which is just behind Tauchman on the Cubs, but does lead the pitching staff. So, again, if you want to give Imanaga the love, I’m good with it. Also, don’t sleep on just how excellent and important Javier Assad has been!
