Comparing Shota Imanaga's season to other Chicago Cubs rookies

Mark Prior (2002)

Mark Prior's best season was his sophomore season of 2003, but he had a solid rookie year as well. In 116.2 innings, Prior struck out 147 batters and had an ERA of 3.32, along with an FIP of 3.16 and 3.0 WAR. Although he did not pitch a full season, his effort was good for seventh in the 2002 NL Rookie of the Year voting. The next season was by far Prior's best and he finished third in NL Cy Young voting with a 2.43 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 211.1 innings, complimented by an 18-6 win/loss record. Unfortunately, like Wood, injuries followed Prior for the rest of his career. He pitched solidly in 2005 with a league-leading K/9 rate of 10.2 but was out of the league after 2006.

A strong rookie season is not a guarantee that a player will rise to long-term greatness, but it is a good sign. If Shota Imanaga can build off the success he enjoyed in Japan and so far in his rookie season with the Cubs, he can be a solid building block for a Cubs rotation as it looks for another championship.