In the height of his dominance that came two seasons ago, Jake Arrieta used his sinker and his famed slider/cutter hybrid to leave opposing hitters helpless. And after the slightly-awry season that followed his Cy Young brilliance, Arrieta seems in the early going this year to have found a couple of ways to right his […]
Tag: Jake Arrieta
Jake Arrieta Coming Down The Mountain
No Cub is going to generate as much discussion than our very own Greek god Jake Arrieta. Not only are we not totally sure what Arrieta is going to provide this season, or how we’re going to feel about it, but he’s also headed into free agency. So along with his performance—whatever it might end […]
Chris Bosio’s Eddie Butler Blueprint
Ever since the Chicago Cubs traded for Jake Arrieta and turned him into the bearded wonder that throws no-hitters and wins the Cy Young award, fans have been looking for the next project pitcher to blossom under pitching coach Chris Bosio. One of the latest is former Colorado Rockie Eddie Butler. After he was designated […]
Cactus Catchup: The Rotation Returns and Baez Departs
The World Baseball Classic began on Monday, which means that a few players will be absent from Cubs camp going forwards, most notably Javier Baez. The versatile infielder will suit up for Puerto Rico in the tournament as part of perhaps the most exciting double-play partnership of the competition with Cleveland’s star shortstop Francisco Lindor. […]
Jake Arrieta and a Path to a Resolution
The first days of spring training are always ripe with storylines. A player is suddenly in the best shape of their life. Some are looked on as potential breakout stars or prospects. Others, like Arrieta, turn to their increasingly murky contract situations. Over the next few months, the idea of an extension will loom over […]
Do the Cubs Have Any Viable Extension Candidates?
On Monday, news broke that the Royals had signed Danny Duffy, 28, to a five-year extension worth $65 million dollars. Coming off by far the best year of his career (Duffy put up 3.8 WARP and a cFIP of 91), the Royals locked him up to what seems to be a fairly team-friendly deal. Duffy—who […]
Let ‘em Go: The Case for Not Extending Jake Arrieta
Pose the question in September 2015, and it’s a laughable one. Jake Arrieta’s long-term status was not in question at that point, and even into the 2016 season, he remained entrenched in the future plans as far as Cubs fans were concerned. But his slightly wobbly regular season—he put together quality numbers on the whole, but […]
Rattle Rattle Thunder Clatter: Jake Arrieta’s Mechanics Need a Tune-up
It’s easy to get rosy-eyed when talking about Jake Arrieta. His devotion to his craft, his classically sculpted body, his majestically hirsute chin, his adorable kid, and his damn good numbers: all are qualities that inspire writers to snag the purplest of pens and analogize Arrieta to, say, an obscure poet or a 19th-century frontiersman. Arrieta’s […]
Jake Arrieta, Number Three Starter?
Cubs fans should be well-versed in the idea of cognitive reframing, even if they don’t know to call it that. It’s the need to find positive alternatives to negative experiences, and for Cubs fans, that’s a need that creeps up with regularity. This idea gets its name from a psychological practice developed in the 1960s […]
The 2016 Starting Rotation is Historically Good
When the Cubs picked up John Lackey during the offseason, the starting rotation finally felt like that of a team vying for a championship. The top two were never a question—Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester were always going to be the 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. But following those two up with […]