In a world where athletes are under intense scrutiny by fans and the media alike, a Twitter comment can often create quite a storm of controversy. Yet, social media was the place to look to if one wanted an indication of Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta’s impending stardom.
It was April 2013, and Arrieta had been floundering as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Often shuttling back and forth between the minors and Camden Yards, Arrieta looked to be a bust, as he had already struggled for his first three seasons after being drafted in the fifth round out of Texas Christian University. When the righty looked at his mentions, he saw a rather nasty comment hurled his way by a disgruntled O’s fan. Arrieta responded forebodingly, “I will be a dominant starter. Wait for it..”
Well, Major League Baseball viewers have waited and watched as Arrieta has risen like a phoenix out of the ashes of his own mediocrity to become a bona fide superstar.
At age 30, Arrieta has masterfully taken over the starting rotation of a Chicago Cubs team that seems destined to break its 108-year World Series curse. The Farmington, Missouri native demonstrated his tenacity and drive to be the best by becoming the team’s No. 1 starter last year, even with offseason addition Jon Lester competing against him — as they say, iron sharpens iron.
Arrieta followed up the in-house competition by carving out one of the best single seasons on the mound, capped off with a late-season no-hitter and the National League Cy Young Award. Going 22-6 last season, Arrieta led the league in wins along with complete games, shutouts and games started. His ERA was a career low 1.77, five and a half runs lower than his average when he declared his future greatness in Baltimore two years prior. This season, he has already recorded four wins in four starts, and he has demonstrated that he has no intentions of slowing down with his no-no against the Cincinnati Reds.
Arrieta is one of the best pitchers in the National League, along with Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants and Matt Harvey of the New York Mets. But the biggest question mark remaining for the 6-foot-4 hurler is what kind of postseason pitcher he will be.
In last year’s National League Championship Series against Harvey’s Mets, Arrieta took the ball in Game 2 against an upstart Noah Syndergaard. Arrieta was touched for four runs in the first three innings, and the Cubs quickly went down 0-2 in the series before being swept. Now, we can give Arrieta a mulligan for that game, as it was his first true start under the bright lights of October baseball. Though he pitched well against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the previous series, Arrieta’s first taste of the big time might have left him punch drunk at Citi Field. However, there will be no excusing the now-seasoned heater this time.
Arrieta’s narrative can go down a number of paths. He could follow in the footsteps of Kershaw, who year in and year out is in the running for the NL Cy Young as a dominant, shutdown starter.
The TCU alumnus could also follow the path blazed by Bumgarner, who, while consistently an All-Star for the Giants, saves his true excellence for October. We all remember the run-suffocating behemoth that Bumgarner morphed into during the 2014 World Series when he recorded two wins, a save and a 0.43 ERA. The image of him ominously walking to the mound in the fourth inning of Game 7 at Kauffmann Stadium against the Kansas City Royals will forever live in baseball lore.
While both of these reputations and performances garner respect and admiration from the baseball world, Arrieta also has another option: He can cut his own path to the Hall of Fame. Number 49 has the chance to become a household name outside of the Windy City, if he isn’t one already. His sinker, his primary weapon, touches 95 mph before it strikingly drops out of the zone as the batter chases it away. That dominant pitch, paired with his equally effective slider and four-seam fastball, make for a deadly repertoire.
Arrieta also features a dangerous curveball and has been perfecting his changeup to continue to befuddle batters. A domineering right-hander with a knack for making his opposition look foolish, Arrieta could become one of most lethal pitchers in MLB history.
If he learns from his mistakes and composes himself under the bright lights of playoff baseball, Arrieta can pitch his way not only to the first World Series the Cubs have seen since the Ottoman Empire, but also to a career full of accomplishments, laureates and maybe even a golden plaque in Cooperstown.
