Shota Imanaga’s Opening Day Start Leads 5 Positive Takeaways from Tokyo Series

Just like that, the Tokyo Series is over and the regular season is on a temporary hold while spring training picks back up for a few more days. While it was neat to watch the Cubs play under such unique circumstances, the viewing experience was otherwise quite miserable for fans of the home team. Thankfully, there were a few positive takeaways from the first two games of 2025.

Shōta Imanaga looked dominant

Imanaga was the Cubs’ ace in 2024, posting a 2.91 ERA (and more stats) over 173.1 innings. The hype was high for his debut season, but no one expected him to do that well, not even the Cubs. With concerns looming about how he would perform in his sophomore season, he silenced the doubters with four no-hit innings on Tuesday against the Dodgers.

It was only four innings due to a limited pitch count, but the stuff looked incredible. While those four walks could have been an issue, he showed his talent by working around any jams.

Shota Imanaga tosses a 1-2-3 1st inning ? pic.twitter.com/kmzqxJsyqg

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 18, 2025

Ian Happ is still good at baseball

Cubs fans have made Happ one of the most underrated and over-hated players in baseball. Alas, he’s still a darn good leadoff hitter. Pete Crow-Armstrong may earn a few reps there at points throughout the season, but Happ is a fantastic option and should get a bulk of his plate appearances at the top of the order.

Happ reached base four times in his nine plate appearances, with two hits and two walks. He has one of the best eyes in baseball, always giving the pitcher a competitive at-bat. One specific instance that stood out was his walk against Roki Sasaki in the 3rd inning of Wednesday’s game.

Happ swung at a 3-1 splitter in the dirt, which was an admittedly filthy pitch from the right-hander. When a hitter looks foolish at a pitch, odds are the pitcher will throw it again in hopes of tricking them back-to-back times. Happ realized this and laid off the next splitter way out of the zone, almost the exact same location. Though it ended up being inconsequential, the free pass was a sign that Happ is dialed in at the plate.

Matt Shaw flashed excellent defense

Shaw has been regarded as one of the best hitters in all of Minor League Baseball, but defense has never been a key part of his profile. He played mainly shortstop in college and spent most of his time there in his first professional season, adding in a good deal of work at second base. Shaw has since moved his focus to third base, now saying that it’s his most comfortable position. He proved that in Tokyo with several fantastic defensive plays. If he is truly an above-average defender throughout the year, Chicago may have one of the best infields in baseball

Matt Shaw, have yourself a day ?‍? pic.twitter.com/JajSAJGqsP

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 19, 2025

Ben Brown stretched out

Barring any drastic changes, Brown is the likely option as the fifth member of the rotation to start the season. Brown allowed two runs and struck out five batters, throwing 65 pitches over 2.2 innings in Tokyo. He may not be fully stretched out yet, but that was a huge step towards getting there. Oh yeah, his death ball looked elite as well.

Justin Turner isn’t just valuable on the field 

Unlike what we see from most 40-year-olds, Turner is still productive offensively. Off the field, he’s even more helpful. The Cubs had several off days to explore Japan, something the players took full advantage of. Turner quickly befriended Pete Crow-Armstrong, with the two traveling all around the city together. Destinations included an arcade, the city skyline, and local batting cages with kids looking to get some swings in.

Even if Turner isn’t spectacular on the diamond, having a veteran with tons of playoff experience will be super beneficial to this club. Along with that, Shaw has a perfect mentor as he tries to learn the hot corner at a major league level

It’s easy to let the negatives outweigh the positives, but don’t overreact just yet. The Cubs have 160 more games before the season is complete, and they’ll ideally have a few postseason matchups as well. The Dodgers present a very difficult matchup for any team, so now it’s a matter of Craig Counsell‘s team handling its business the rest of the way.