Arrieta Posts

[Redskins Rick]

Still not seeing a correlation.

same 4 game stretch last season:

102 pitches, 7 innings and 7 K

122 pitches, 9 innings and 7 K

112 pitches, 6 innings and 6 K

93 pitches, 6 innings and 8 K

Ok, I give, I guess I was wrong about his Ks being the reason.

But, bottom line, his pitch counts are not letting him go deep into the game.

[Frobby]

same 4 game stretch last season:

102 pitches, 7 innings and 7 K

122 pitches, 9 innings and 7 K

112 pitches, 6 innings and 6 K

93 pitches, 6 innings and 8 K

Ok, I give, I guess I was wrong about his Ks being the reason.

But, bottom line, his pitch counts are not letting him go deep into the game.

He's throwing fewer strikes than last year, and walking a few more guys. I don't think anyone in Chicago is complaining. In the 11 games in which he has lasted only 5 innings five times, he still has a 2.15 ERA and is averaging over 6 IP/start. That's a very minor degradation in performance in the grand scheme of things. But it's at least a sign that he is reverting from superhuman to mere Cy Young candidate.

[Frobby]

5 IP, 5 ER yesterday but picked up a cheap win to go to 12-2 on the season. That's six times in his last 12 outings that he has only lasted 5 innings.

[schittenden]

There is an interview with Jake Arrieta in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue. It touches on his time with the Orioles:

I was going through some difficult times at Triple-A Norfolk. I was going through failure at a high rate and questioning my ability. I questioned whether I was going to continue to play. I was in a situation where I was basically as uncomfortable on a pitching rubber as I ever have been in my entire life. A lot of it is with good intention -- coaches are trying to genuinely help players make adjustments to better themselves. But it was just something where I knew that I could be more consistent in my delivery if I just did it my way. Then when the trade happened [from the Orioles to the Cubs in 2013], that's when things really turned around.

When I got traded over to the Cubs, I knew that I was coming to an organization where I was going to be able to be myself. Not worry about "is this guy going to want me to do something different?" So I hit the ground running. I knew I was going to be able to go back to a delivery that I was confident I could repeat, and it's steadily gotten better over these last two years. I still think there's room to improve.

The article is here, but be warned, you might see more of Jake than you want to (and learn about his wife shaving his hairy back and thinking he's got a nice backside).

Feel free to move this to the MLB section if need be. I apologize if this is posted somewhere. I searched for it and didn't see it.

[tinamodotti]

[weams]

Convinced he's on the juice. Rubber is just a smokescreen.

It's a rumor that has not factual basis.

[weams]

Take a good look at him. That's a pumped up steroid freak.

He has never been caught. Unlike Ortiz several times.

[Orioles4Life21]

Take a good look at him. That's a pumped up steroid freak.

Hard work doesn't exist anymore?

[casadeozo]

Take a good look at him. That's a pumped up steroid freak.

So steroids make a 28-30 year old pitcher throw the ball better?

I wish people could be banned for making completely idiotic posts. It's now the status quo when someone has newfound success they must be on PED's. Its gross and irresponsible.

[TradeAngelos]

Back on track, this is why you don't have hard and fast rules you live and die by to make pitchers conform to "your" way of doing things. Like not allowing them to throw certain pitches. Or not letting them be comfortable voicing an opinion.

There is a ton of grey area, and you have to let them do what they think is best even if you don't see it that way sometimes. You can help along the way, but Arrieta is what happens when it's "you are going to do it THIS way".

No one knows themselves better than the player. I can't imagine Jake wasn't relaying his feeling along the way as well about the matter, to no avail.

Hopefully the coaches are/have been reading this stuff and taking notes, on how NOT to "develop" young pitchers.

[ChuckS]

Take a good look at him. That's a pumped up steroid freak.

Jake has a pretty lean physique. I don't understand why any athlete with a good physique automatically gets accused of doing steroids.

Diet, exercise, weight lifting, and proper nutrition can go a long way. I feel like these accusations often come from people who have never done any kind of significant weight training in their lives.

[Chavez Ravine]

Back on track, this is why you don't have hard and fast rules you live and die by to make pitchers conform to "your" way of doing things. Like not allowing them to throw certain pitches. Or not letting them be comfortable voicing an opinion.

There is a ton of grey area, and you have to let them do what they think is best even if you don't see it that way sometimes. You can help along the way, but Arrieta is what happens when it's "you are going to do it THIS way".

No one knows themselves better than the player. I can't imagine Jake wasn't relaying his feeling along the way as well about the matter, to no avail.

Hopefully the coaches are/have been reading this stuff and taking notes, on how NOT to "develop" young pitchers.

I am not exactly disagreeing with you, but I suspect you could come up with lots of examples where players at this level didn't listen to coaching advice, did what they thought was best and completely failed. Along the same lines, I am sure there are examples of players taking some key advice and blossoming. Or, sometimes, divine intervention happens and your pitches just start moving for no apparent reason:

Anyway, as Rivera threw with Mendoza on that now-hallowed day in Yankees history, the ball suddenly started to move.

[Mendoza] was upset at me because the ball was moving and he thought I was making the ball move," Rivera says. "From that moment, I told Mel [stottlemyre, then-Yankees pitching coach], I have no control over this. The ball is moving, and I have no control.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mariano-rivera-birth-of-the-cutter-was-gift-from-god-part-4-of-5/

[24fps]

How many years was it, pre-Duquette, pre-Showalter, pre Arrieta even, that the primary complaint was the lack of consistency in pitching instruction throughout the organization? I have to wonder if the Arrieta situation wasn't collateral damage from trying - badly - to rectify that.

[weams]

How many years was it, pre-Duquette, pre-Showalter, pre Arrieta even, that the primary complaint was the lack of consistency in pitching instruction throughout the organization? I have to wonder if the Arrieta situation wasn't collateral damage from trying - badly - to rectify that.

Arrieta 5.1 innings 8 hits 2 walks and a homer. 4 Earned runs and way too many pitches again.

[Frobby]

Full blown schadenfreude has set in with me now. I'm glad he's proving to be human.