New Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga 'as advertised' in first bullpen session of spring training

MESA, Ariz. — New Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy stood huddled around an electronic tablet, swapping thoughts midway through Imanaga’s first bullpen session of spring training Wednesday.

On the other side of the row of pitching rubbers, cameras and media members filled the length of the walkway, trying to get a good look at Imanaga. The hubbub brought a little extra interest to the first official workout for pitchers and catchers.

‘‘As a rookie, there’s been maybe a little more attention,’’ Imanaga said through an interpreter before his bullpen session. ‘‘But whether there is attention or there’s not that much attention, what I have to do doesn’t change.’’

Imanaga is new to MLB and, therefore, technically a rookie. He’ll have an adjustment period. But the 30-year-old joined the Cubs after eight seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and has international experience as a member of Team Japan.

Optimism is always high early in spring training, but it isn’t easy to make a strong impression in bullpen sessions alone. Imanaga, who got to Arizona about a week early, has caught his coaches’ and teammates’ attention.

‘‘He seems like he’s so well-seasoned and already has that mentality to him because he’s done a lot of pitching [in Japan],’’ said left-hander Justin Steele, who finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting last season. ‘‘Just watching his bullpens, there’s so many things I want to take from his game and implement into mine.’’

Steele has taken note of how Imanaga stays loaded on his back side, how quick to the plate he is and his slide-step.

Both are left-handed and throw four-seam fastballs that sit in the low 90s, but they have different profiles. That not only includes their secondary pitches but also the way their fastballs move.

‘‘It’ll be really fun to watch that evolve,’’ Hottovy said. ‘‘You always talk about how the rotation is going to work, and you don’t want to have guys with too much similar stuff. Well, it is very unique, very different fastballs.’’

While working with Imanaga in the last week, Hottovy has been struck by how personable he is. And between Imanaga working hard to learn English and Hottovy trying to pick up Japanese phrases, they’ve bridged the language barrier a bit.

‘‘He’s got a complete repertoire,’’ Hottovy said. ‘‘He’s a really complete package of a pitcher. He’s asking all the right questions and really open to a lot of conversations about what he does. And I’m just excited for him to get through this first phase, so he can start facing hitters and get some reaction there.’’

Plenty of other Cubs pitchers are based in Arizona or arrived early for spring training, so Imanaga is beginning to form relationships with teammates already. He said he has watched two of Steele’s bullpen sessions from behind the mound.

‘‘Just watching his slider, I can picture how the batter would swing and chase at it,’’ Imanaga said.

He also has played catch with right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

‘‘He doesn’t make mistakes, even in just having a catch,’’ Imanaga said.

In his introductory news conference last month, Imanaga said he sought general free-agency advice from former Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish. Darvish was already an MLB veteran by the time he got to the Cubs, but Hottovy reached out to him to pick his brain about the transition from Japan, which Darvish made in 2012 with the Rangers.

‘‘Darvish [talked] about just communicate with him, treat him right, include him in everything and everything’s gonna be fine,’’ Hottovy said.

So far, so good.

The Cubs were already excited about the data they were getting back on Imanaga’s pitches. But feedback from a veteran catcher Wednesday supported it. Yan Gomes set up behind the plate for Imanaga’s bullpen session.

‘‘His heater is definitely, as of right now, as advertised,’’ Gomes said.