Jason Ross

Careful, PTR is going to find a way to monetize that. Sounds like a special game-day experience.

Yeah, we're just not going to agree, then. For example, while I do believe that Owen Ayers will face MLB competition for the position, I think that competition is going to be far more akin to the competition Justin Turner provided for Matt Shaw versus the a competition that you're suggesting; that Ayers is walking into 2027 as the third C. I would expect much more of a Reese McGwuire type: the kind who provides MLB experience, who offers strong defense, but is not a threat to Ayers spot out of ST presuming he's healthy and doesn't fall flat on his face. They have Miguel Amaya who's having a very nice season in the 1a/1b slot: he's rocking a 103 wRC+, and will finish the season around the 1.3 (or so) win mark. He's got 270 games under his belt; he's not young any more. Secondly, I never said it was "in Counsell's mind". But a third catcher probably is. A 1b option probably is. The Cubs let Moises Ballesteros catch last year at the end of the season; Owen Ayers (a much better defender) getting two games behind the dish and two at first feel...very possible. You don't have to be thinking about the 2027 roster from a manager's perspective to see a pathway for that. Lastly, I do think you're underselling him still. The context for that is that you said it would be "just to get a rookie's feet wet". That supposes there's some other player (rookie or non-rookie) who would help the club. Who would that be? I don't think Owen Ayers would be here just to get his feet wet. I think it's a great byproduct. But I also think as a third catcher and 1b he offers the Cubs a legitimate roster fit over other spurious options, the ones I listed. None of the other options stand out over Ayers. They may go that route yet, and I think you can make perfectly fine arguments for why Kevin Alcantara, or Justin Dean could add value...but it's likely nothing worthwhile over what Ayers could, either. I'd be shocked if anyone in this spot came up and saw more than 20 PAs.

Jerry won't stop tweeting about his defense, either,

It must be a league wide conspiracy against Merril Kelly and his signs because Boston tagged him for 6 runs (all earned) in his last start. Kelly had just 2 strikeouts. The daunting Rockies and Guardians lineups, as well, knocked him around for 6 a piece, too. In his last 25 IP he's given up 21 runs, good for a 7.46 ERA and a 7.27 xERA. Poor guy, everyone must be stealing his precious little signs.

I think the playing time he will miss is pretty minimal all things considered. Iowa isn't going to make the playoffs, they have been bad all year record wise. There are 18 games left in their season (come September 1st) - roughly three weeks. He'd not play in every single one of those 18, to begin with. This will be offset with likely a handful of MLB games (let's call it 4-5) down to maybe two weeks of actual MiLB PA's. Offset it more with soft skills, working directly with the Cubs hitting coaches, the Trajekt machine that can reproduce any pitcher on the planet (stuff, movement, velocity, arm slot, throws strikes and balls, mixes pitches) and it's a footnote in his development.

Owen Ayers can do both, though. I think we're kind of underselling him here. There isn't a clear-cut "guy who's going to help out". Every argument has a massive caveat: - Triantos is versatile, but versatility on it's own isn't really needed - Kevin Alcantara might hit lefties, but he hasn't yet - Justin Deal might steal a few bases, but other than that, what's he adding? - Owen Miller could be a backup SS, but outside of that, what his deal? Owen Ayers might not be, completely, 100% ready bat wise, but he fills a need both as a 3rd catcher (giving you options) and as an actual, human who can play 1b. He's a switch hitter so he gives you the ability to protect a bad LHH. If there was an obvious candidate, it might work out that Ayers being called up wouldn't be the best option. But I also think we need to remember that the 14th best position player on your roster is going to have a flaw unless it's a top-prospect who's ready or a very good player returning from injury, and those aren't very normal circumstances.

The Cubs won't carry him on the playoff roster. But the 40 man thing matters next to nothing to me. Maybe they lose a BJ Murray if there is a Rule 5 draft. But whatever. He's the classic "a bunch of people get upset online about losing" only to turn into Michael Arias and Alexander Canario, two players no one has thought of since they were initially upset. Before then you can DFA Jayden Murray types with impunity. If he was ever going to be on a playoff roster then you were likely in a world of hurt.

I'm surprised I convinced myself on it. A few weeks ago I thought "no way". After how the deadline went, his mechanical cleanups and just how strong the arm has looked...I'm pretty convinced today that the team has an Amaya/Ayers combo planned for 2027. If that's the case, I just think it makes sense to get him here now, on-board him in September as a third catcher and get his feet on the ground.

I wouldn't *super* worry about that wRC+. First, it's the International League and league numbers are stupid there. He's running a super respectable .270/.387/.370 line. The only thing holding the wRC+ is the power, but he's currently working on some mechanic changes that he's just been putting into motion. And his batting ball data is running around league averagish regardless. His swing decisions are really great 74th percentile contact rate, 90th percentile walk rate. And he's had a few hard hit balls recently that just didn't get out or just barely missed. TJ Nestico runs a "TJBat" number which is essentially a wRC+ type number for hitters, and he's sitting 60th percentile for Triple-A. His wOBA is 55th percentile, too. I think for a catcher, especially one who hasn't had a lot of time there, these things outweigh the 101 wRC+. Overall, I think the story is lot more positive than the wRC+ and I am a wRC+ fiend. Truthfully, I think he's looked really good. Just to prove it, since his mechanical adjustment: 91 MPH EV, 107 Max, .424 xWOBA Plus, I think the argument for him being up is that the development with the Cubs and their pitching staff (as well as using Traject, working with Cubs' hitting coaches etc) would outweigh a few more weeks in Iowa. We have a tendency to think development=PA's we can see but so often the real development happens behind closed doors. In that vein, if it's development we're worried about missing, I tend to chalk it up as "probably not a big deal" if it's just a few weeks.

We're getting a point where the goalposts are moving, so I'm going to pull us back. This isn't about Aaron Civale in specific. The Cubs have three P's returning and four pitchers (Thornton, Civale, Thielbar, Rea) who are the most likely to go. What prompted all of this was a discussion about Shelby Miller - let's keep it on him. Both can exist on the same roster. You have yet to provide anything that makes me understand why you're more "confident" in those four than Shelby Miller. My best guess is that it's simple proximity; you see those guys on the Cubs now, and you likely haven't watched any Shelby Miller outings in a long time. That's not a dig, I haven't watched a lot of Shelby Miller prior to the Cubs picking him, and his resurgence has largely gone under the radar. But here's the rub: what Miller does those others don't do. Miller has better stuff right now. He's much more of a strikeout artist. If you told me Shelby Miller is healthy and 100% back, he's just got a bigger ceiling right now than the others. I think he's a better reliever than the others in that state. If you want an argument for why we shouldn't be as confident. I'll give you one: he's coming back from TJS and I don't know if he can go back-to-back so I'm not confident he's 100% back. If he can't go back-to-back games than it creates a bit of a bind for a team who won't see a lot of off-days and still has a rotation you can't always bank on for eating innings. Especially if you're going to surround him with Ben Brown and Justin Steele both returning from injury.

I mean, have you paid any attention to Shelby Miller over the last two years? If not, probably best just to say you really aren't familiar with new-look Shelby than to say something like "I have more confidence in Aaron Civale" a pitcher who's been awful outside of Chicago for 33 IP over two years. Which, is less than the amount of successful MLB innings that Shelby Miller has put up over the last two years. And to be clear: I think Aaron Civale has done a good job with the Cubs over those 33 IP over two years. I have no problem with him in the bullpen now, and if the Cubs wanted to not bring back Rea and instead give that spot to Civale in 2027, I'd be just fine with it. The Cubs have clearly identified that he needs to lean on the splitter and the cutter while other orgs have not. But he's been DFA'd from two orgs for a reason, as well. So let's also maybe pump the brakes on being more confident with Civale over Miller. Miller has better stuff. He was better in 2025 than anything I believe Civale is capable of doing and his stuff since returning this year mirrors his 2025 stuff.

What does that have to do with anything? Shelby Miller is on an MLB-contract that extends into next season. He's currently on the 60-day IL. The second they call him up, whether it's tomorrow or a week from tomorrow for September callups, he goes immediately on the 40-man. He has to force someone off of the 40 to get there if it's full and they aren't going to DFA him later. They will also have to take Justin Steele and Ben Brown off the IL-60 to add them in the next few weeks. It just doesn't matter what day they call him up. Someone, probably a few people, are about to be forced off the roster. The most likely person to get forced off the 40-man will likely be the reliever he replaces. Maybe they want to keep Thielbar around as long as possible, so they just hold off on a week, DFA someone like Jayden Murray and call up Miller, but I'd guess the order of operations will be something like: 1. DFA Thielbar, call-up Miller (whenever it happens) 2. Assad as September 1st addition in the bullpen 3. Rea, Civale and Thornton, two of which will go when Steele and Brown return.

Because Shelby Miller looks like he's a very good reliever right now. Something clicked for the dude last year, at age-34 (I know). His velocity jumped significantly, his secondaries got much, much better and he struck out 29% of hitters. His ERA was under 3.00, his xERA was 3.50 and he had elite chase and whiff rates. The velo in Iowa is right back where it was last year despite the injury and the short recovery time. The goal for the 2026 Cubs is to win the last baseball game they play. To do that, they need to roster the best 26-players in the organization. A healthy Shelby Miller is likely one of those best-26. I realize the name "Shelby Miller" isn't an exciting one based on who he was but I don't believe today he is that guy any more. Which, let me tell you, if you had told me a decade ago I'd be excited about a Shelby Miller return, I'd have been floored. The same for five years ago. But I think we have to place aside what we used to know about him.

Honestly? No idea. Haven't seen either in a proper MiLB stint yet. Team is mum. But even on one-inning basis...they have the ability to be exciting and to extend out the pen.

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images If not for Josiah Hartshorn becoming the first Cubs teenage farmhand to knock 20 round trippers in a season since Corey Patterson, Owen Ayers would be an easy pick for the organization's Minor League Hitter of the Year. Despite Hartshorn's heroics, you can make a strong argument that Ayers deserves the accolades, considering the rocket ship the former 19th-round pick has been on and how good he's been at every level. As the season winds down, the switch-hitting catcher has done so well that he may earn an even more sought-after prize: a major-league call-up when rosters' expand to 28 players on September 1. Being called up would be a dream come true for any young player; it has to be. It's the culmination of years of hard work. It's reward for all of the training, practice, blood, sweat and tears. If that isn't enough, it comes with a nifty raise to MLB's league-minimum salary, which is just under $800,000 a year. Ayers signed for $50,000 in 2024, so even a four-week stay on the roster this fall would roughly double his career earnings. The Cubs can't make decisions based on their desire to help dreams come true, though. The call has to be grounded in logistical considerations, as the team tries to make the most of its roster. The Case for Cubs to Call Up Owen Ayers Ayers is a player the Chicago Cubs really like. We can see this just based on how they have handled him over the last 365 days. First, they sent him to the Arizona Fall League, an early signal that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill late-round pick. They also acted decisively each time the catcher showed he was too good for a level this season, promoting him from High-A South Bend to Double-A Knoxville after just 11 games, and again from Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa after just 65 more. At the trade deadline, they reportedly made him a sticking point in trade negotiations, opting instead to trade other top prospects Jefferson Rojas and Moisés Ballesteros. It's fair to guess that the team has him in their plans at the MLB level come the 2027 season; they wouldn't have made him such an important factor at the deadline if they didn't. While it's impossible to know exactly what the plan is, it's fair to assume that it includes the 25-year-old getting a very real chance to make the Cubs out of spring training. If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs give him a 30-day trial period in September. He wouldn't be asked to do a lot as the third catcher, but it would give him a leg up on the upcoming year. While he may not be catching guys in game a lot, it's likely that he would get work on the side to build rapport with the team's pitching staff before turning the keys to the kingdom over to him. The team has made clear that they like to give young players a taste of the big-league life. In other recent Septembers, they've called up Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, and Kevin Alcántara to acclimate them to the roster, while limiting their playing time with an eye toward the future. From a roster-construction perspective, it would make sense, too. Currently, the team has no viable first-base backup option. Pedro Ramírez filled in there a few days ago, but is now needed at second base. The injury that stopped Tyler Austin's season before it began really derailed the Cubs' hopes to have a backup or platoon option for Michael Busch. Ayers has history playing first dating back to his time in college, allowing him to fill a need the team has right now. Having a third catcher can also give you more choices, like using Carson Kelly as the DH against certain lefties. It can allow you to pinch-run for Kelly or Miguel Amaya, knowing you have some flexibility left after that move. The Case Against Cubs Calling Up Owen Ayers Not all pertinent factors point toward this move, though. First, you don't have to add him in September. Ayers, despite his age, is not eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. The Cubs could keep him off the 40-man roster all offseason, allowing them to protect other players, instead. Spots on the 40-man are always valuable during the winter, and that will only be more true in what's sure to be a freneic and disrupted offseason this year. Relatedly, with the CBA set to expire this December and a lockout looming, another aspect of the call-up needs to be considered. Players who have not been added to the 40-man roster can play minor-league baseball next spring and start spring training on time, even if the MLBPA is locked out. This could mean anything from a couple extra weeks of work at the team facility to a month of extra games the big-leaguers won't get to participate in, but either way, calling Ayers up next month would expose him to the vagaries of the labor battle. Leaving him in Iowa (where he can also play every day, or nearly so) would shield him from that. Should the Cubs Call Up Owen Ayers? While there is no definitive answer, I think calling up Ayers makes sense. Catcher is a position like no other; building trust through reps can never start too soon. Having an eye toward 2027, in that regard, is a good thing. While it's possible that Kelly will remain with the Cubs in 2027 (and beyond), he's a free agent this winter. The team has to make a succession plan, and then adapt that plan if he unexpectedly sticks around on a new deal. Using the 40-man spot is a real factor, but the team has plenty of flotsam on that list right now that they can turn into jetsam. They might lose a player like BJ Murray in the Rule 5 Draft as a result of using a 40-man spot on Ayers sooner than is needed, but that's not likely to be a big loss. Another sticking point: it might not even matter. In 2021, just five years ago, we saw a similar issue at hand; the prior CBA expired in December and the league just flat-out cancelled the Rule 5 draft. It may not actually matter if the Cubs expose someone like Murray in the draft; if there's no draft, he's not going anywhere, anyway. The labor questions are too big and unwieldy to govern a decision like this. Instead, it should come down to whether the team thinks that's the best use of their extra roster spot for a position player, and to whether they think being with the parent club is the best thing for Ayers's development. Ultimately, I think the balance tips in favor of the Cubs' calling up Ayers, as long as he's the planned "next up" to fill Kelly's spot in 2027. He'd get invaluable time with the pitchers he'll be working with; provide the Cubs options off the bench; and get a chance to gel with the clubhouse. This likely offsets any concern about the Rule 5 draft and 40-man considerations. And if the Cubs end up calling up someone like James Triantos instead? It's not the end of the world, and would be fine. It does keep the roster picture uncluttered. It may give Ayers some reps during a lockout. And it's not like the Cubs' fates are going to be shifted that greatly by the 14th hitter on the roster, whoever it is. With just a week to go before these decisions need to be made, we'll see which side the team actually sits on shortly. But if the team does give Ayers a chance in September, it will be a fun little peek into the future of the team at the catching position. View full article

Zero. His velo hasn't been right, he isn't on the 40 and the Cubs have plenty of other relievers who are ready to come up.

Yes. He's pitching very well right now and he has not been getting, what seems, especially lucky. 20 IP and a 1.80 ERA, 2.78 xERA, 2.83 FIP, 3.92 xFIP. There is a split between the ERA and xData and we shouldn't expect a sub 2.00 ERA. But he is pitching like someone who belongs on an MLB roster. Under the hood he's seen his K% jump, his walk rate drop, his barrel rate drop, his hard hit drop...so that checks out, too. We're also seeing a change in pitch usage. Far more cutter and split finger. And go figure, both are pitches used to attack off-handed hitters. Guess who sucked with the A's against lefties? *hint, his name rhymes with Shmaron Shimale* His numbers against RHP weren't elite, but they were fine and they're pretty close to what he's doing now on the whole: vs RHP: 22.2 K%, 4.4 BB%, 4.06 xFIP With Cubs (overall): 22 K%, 6.1 BB%, 3.94 xFIP It's his lefties splits that were terrible. The simple fix was always "IDK have you tried throwing the pitches that get lefties out? No? Try that and get back to me." and it's working. Frankly, it's a pretty easy fix. Fun fact, he did it last year when he was good with the Cub, too, so I have no idea why the A's decided to scrap that plan and go back to the old version. Here is his 2025 pitch usage for comparison: We'll see how long it keeps up, if it can keep up. At some point someone's going to figure out he's throwing differently again and how they adjust to it has yet to be seen, really. But yeah, you can use him with confidence that won't implode like he was in Sacramento as of now.

So, like, is Bregman still the worst contract ever...or...?

Article on Fangraphs today. Jay Jaffe, NSBB reader, confirmed. He may even be one of us.

A very worthwhile watch for anyone who wants a good primer/idea about the possible lockout and salary cap. It's short, easy to digest and quite informative.

Their bullpen just hasn't been in a place this year to do that. There have been times, significant times, where Tyler Ferguson was your second or third best RHP out of the pen. And while I do think he did an admirable job especially against RHH, but I also don't think he ever gained enough trust to really be that kind of guy. Nor had the others gained trust that you could use Ferguson as the opener and feel good about the back end. I do things will change up if the Cubs bullpen gets most of these guys coming back to actually...ya know...get back. Knock on wood.

We gotta stop doing this every time the game doesn't go perfectly. Good teams, good offenses, have bad games. They have multiple bad games in a row. They lose series to bad teams. This happens to them all. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Beyond that, baseball is a game where you have a near infinite amount of data points that you can manipulate to your whim. If you want a doom-boner, you don't have to look far; just slice up the game into a single, very pedantic data point and you'll find something. Let's not over-engineer a simple problem. The Cubs have been one of the best teams against the best pitchers in baseball offensively. They've been one of the best team offensively against the worst pitchers. They've scored the second most runs on the season. They literally lead the league in wRC+. They're a good offense.

Image courtesy of David Banks-Imagn Images The end of the 2025 season—and specifically the playoffs—was an ugly stretch for Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga. The affable lefty was pounded in his last two starts of the season and then rocked in the playoffs by the arch-rival Milwaukee Brewers. Imanaga started the season as the team's co-ace; he ended it by being passed over for a do-or-die start in Game 5 of the NLDS. The culprit in this demise was Imagana's propensity to give up the long ball at the wrong time. Sadly, that's cropped up again this year, as he's given up 29 homers already. Figuring out how to work around these is key as the team begins to look beyond the regular season (while continuing to pursue the Brewers in the NL Central). Sometimes, however, we have a bad habit of focusing on just the home runs. Imanaga's most recent start against the crosstown White Sox is a great example of this. The home run Randal Grichuk hit in the top of the fourth was the talk of social media; it defined his start for many people. Grichuk has made life hell for lefties for more than a decade, sporting a career 121 wRC+ against southpaws. Despite being 35 years old now, he's shown no signs of slowing down, posting a 161 wRC+ on the year against them. A left-handed pitcher with home run issues giving up a bomb to a guy who crushes lefties is not a wild outcome. What you may have missed, however, is that Imanaga had a great start minus that outcome. Not only did he strike out 10 hitters, but he induced 20 whiffs on 40 swings. The fastball velocity sat at 91.5 MPH—an important metric for Imanaga, who struggles significantly when the velocity dips below 91. The splitter was especially good, as it notched an 80% whiff rate when the Sox swung at it that night. That came against the offense with the 7th-best wRC+ against lefties this season. With Imanaga, there will be some home runs given up, but he has shown time and time again that despite that, he can dominate. Outside the 29 homers, Imanaga has had another fine season. He has a 3.77 ERA in 143 innings. With all of the injuries, he's been a rock in the rotation, taking the ball every turn and delivering as many quality starts (11) as the next two Cubs on the leaderboard (Matthew Boyd, 6; Colin Rea, 5). The underlying data assure us that the results aren't fluky; his xERA is 3.81 and his xFIP is 3.85. He's a fine mid-rotation starter. That said, the Cubs shouldn't enter the postseason having forgotten what happened last year, either. That Grichuk home run felt inevitable because it was an obviously bad matchup for Imanaga. But the worst part about that home run was the walk that preceded it. The Cubs lefty can survive a solo shot or two, but he cannot survive three-run blasts. Walks aren't generally an issue for him, but they will happen from time to time, and that's when things get a little scary. Walk the guy before a lefty-masher, and what seemed like a clean inning could turn into two runs. As you enter the playoffs, you're far more likely to face lineups that will force Imanaga into those exact uncomfortable situations. That will (rightfully) make most Cubs fans uneasy, The margin for error is razor-thin in the playoffs, and Imanaga lives on a razor's edge already. To mitigate the risk he presents, the Cubs should shield him from the third time through the batting order. The first time batters see him in a game, Imanaga has a 3.33 xFIP and a 29.3% strikeout rate. The second time he sees hitters, he has a 3.55 xFIP and a 25.3 K%. Once he gets to a third time, his xFIP jumps to 5.67 and his K-rate drops to a measly 12.6%. As a pitcher who really relies on two pitches as his primary options (fastball/splitter), it makes sense that he struggles the third time through. As often as the Cubs can avoid this, they should. With their roughed-up rotation leading to an exhausted bullpen, they haven't always been able to shield him from this during the regular season. Instead, they've often asked him to get through that one extra inning, maybe a little too often. The good news for the Cubs is that the rules of the game (figuratively) change in the playoffs. Teams don't use their starters or bullpens the same way they do over the first 162. The Dodgers won a World Series two years ago with two starters, using their bullpen the rest of the time; you can hide deficiencies in interesting ways. Luckily, the North Siders might just be set up perfectly to use Imanaga with these changes. Enter: the Cubs' changing bullpen. Between today and the end of the season, the Cubs' bullpen is likely to see lots of reinforcements. Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, Daniel Palencia, Justin Steele, Hoby Milner and Shelby Miller might all return, building depth and variety for the pen. There are pitchers who may give you some length (two or three innings) and others who give you funky looks. There are pitchers who can attack very specific weaknesses, and others who will blow hitters away with pure stuff. That should allow the Cubs to utilize Imanaga more optimally. You can help Imanaga avoid bad matchups and the third-time through the order penalty by using those options. The Brewers might stack lefty-mashers Andrew Vaughn, Jackson Chourio and William Contreras at the top of their order to face Imanaga as many times as they can. Instead of letting the southpaw take the first inning, they could allow (say) Brown to take the first four or five outs of the game, then turn it over to Imanaga. Because of the sheer amount of trustworthy arms that may return and how teams handle playoff pitching staffs (being far more aggressive with early pulls), Imanaga also wouldn't be asked to go 18+ outs or be forced to see a lineup a third time. It's much more likely he would be asked to get something closer to 12 outs. He could give up a few baserunners and still never see a hitter a third time. Plus, by shortening his usage, you can ameliorate the issue with his fastball velocity. In shorter stints, it's more likely that he can max out the effort on the pitch. He may even be able to get it to the 92-93 MPH area that former Driveline pitching instructor Chris Langin suggested as the threshold Imanaga needs to reach to be at his best. Fans should hope the Cubs need to use four starting pitchers in the playoffs. As a team probably headed for the Wild Card round (FanGraphs gives the Cubs just an 11.1% chance to both win the division and secure a bye), the Cubs would only need a fourth starter in the second round. If the season ended today, recently-acquired starters Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes would start two of the three games in a Wild Card round, leaving a decision to be made by Craig Counsell on whom the third pitcher would be. That debate would come down to Boyd and Imanaga. The team will need both if they move on, but finding a way to get the best out of Imanaga is key. Thankfully, the Cubs are getting healthy (at least, pitching-wise) at the right time, which should allow them to optimize usage of both hurlers. Unlike in 2025, this team looks ready to cover its October innings. In the interim. the Cubs will hope for more starts like Imanaga's against the White Sox. He will be a little more exposed going forward. Even with the rosters expanding, they'll ask him to get through five or six innings in most starts. They'll hope they see more solo bombs than ones with runners on. He'll have to face a few hitters (like Grichuk) who are just bad matchups. And he'll probably be just fine, as he's been most of the season. But when the playoffs happen, they'll be able to try different things. Piggybacking might be an option. Openers might be an option. In a way, Imanaga is the Cubs' glass cannon. The traditional glass-cannon arm is someone who's wonderful when healthy, but who rarely are. Imanaga isn't a big injury risk, but he tends to "break" in the ways described here: giving up home runs, diminished velocity and seeing the order a third time. He can be a hitter's nightmare when everything is working, but he has some serious flaws. Maybe the right term for him is Plexiglass Cannon, instead. He's not as breakable as many hurlers in the traditional sense, but pressure and repeated exposure can still crack him. Deploying Imanaga may take a deft hand, a strong bullpen and knowing when to pull him, but if you get it right, this Plexiglass cannon can be a real weapon. View full article