Jake Arrieta

College career

Arrieta began his college career at Weatherford Junior College in 2005, posting a 6–2 record with a 3.43 ERA. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 26th round of the 2005 draft but instead transferred to Texas Christian University. During the summer of 2005, he played for the McKinney Marshalls of the Texas Collegiate League, recording a 4–3 record and a 1.87 ERA. In his sophomore year at TCU in 2006, he led college baseball with 14 wins and a 2.35 ERA, striking out 111 batters in 111 innings. He earned the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year Award and was named a Second-Team College Baseball All-American. As a junior in 2007, he went 9–3 with a 3.01 ERA and was named First-team All-Mountain West. Arrieta also pitched for the United States national team in 2006, helping win the World University Baseball Championship with a 4–0 record and a 0.27 ERA.

Professional career

The Baltimore Orioles selected Arrieta in the fifth round of the 2007 MLB draft, signing him for a $1.1 million bonus. He debuted professionally in the Arizona Fall League, pitching 16 scoreless innings for the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 2008, he opened with the Class A Frederick Keys, serving as opening day starter and earning Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star honors. He pitched in the All-Star Futures Game and was the only minor leaguer below Double-A named to the U.S. Olympic team, starting one game in Beijing.

Arrieta led the Carolina League with a 2.87 ERA and was named its Pitcher of the Year. He made his MLB debut for the Orioles in 2010 and was traded to the Cubs in 2013. In 2015, he led MLB with 22 wins, threw a no-hitter, and won the National League Cy Young Award. In 2016, he was an NL All-Star, threw a second no-hitter, received a Silver Slugger Award, and won the World Series.

He signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the Phillies before 2018, had season-ending elbow surgery in 2019, and returned in 2020. In 2021, he rejoined the Cubs, was released, then signed with the Padres before retiring after the season.

Pitching style

During his MLB career, Arrieta threw a four-seam fastball, sinker, changeup, slider, and curveball. In his dominant 2015 and 2016 seasons, his most effective pitch was a hybrid between a slider and a cut fastball, which he adjusted based on the batter's handedness. In the first three weeks of 2016, he struck out 17 batters in 80 at-bats ending with that pitch. Later in his career, his velocity declined: his sinker dropped from 95.3 mph to 91.2 mph, and his slider fell from 90.8 mph to 88.1 mph. To compensate, he increased his use of breaking balls and relied on a sinking fastball to keep pitches low.

Personal life

Arrieta and his wife, gymnast Brittany Arrieta, have known each other since elementary school and began dating in their junior year of high school. They have two children, a son named Cooper and a daughter named Palmer, and live in Austin, Texas, where they frequently hike. Arrieta began practicing Pilates in 2013 and incorporated it into his daily workouts after noticing improvement in his pitching. Politically, he does not identify with either major party and did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. He missed the Cubs' White House visit after their World Series win, citing family needs rather than political reasons. In 2021, he expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine, noting that vaccinated Yankees players had tested positive. Arrieta has made television appearances on Veep and Chicago Fire.