Jake Arrieta

 ( 1986 Births ) 

He opened the 2008 season with the Class A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League. Minor league pitching coach Blaine Beatty remembered Arrieta entering the season with a strong pitching repertoire, but struggling with the mental aspect of the game, particularly with maintaining his composure under duress. He made 20 starts for the Keys, going 6–5 in the process. Additionally, Arrieta served as the Keys' opening day starter, received both Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star honors, and pitched in the All-Star Futures Game. He pitched a scoreless inning at the Futures Game, allowing only one hit and striking out one. Arrieta was also the only minor league baseball player below Double-A to be named to the United States national baseball team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He started in one game for the USA team, pitching six scoreless innings in a 9–1 group stage victory over China. Arrieta and the rest of Team USA ultimately took bronze in the Olympic tournament. Although he missed the final six weeks of the season due to the Olympics, Arrieta led the Carolina League with a 2.87 ERA, while his 120 strikeouts were fourth in the league. When he returned from Beijing, he was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.

Arrieta received his first Orioles spring training invitation in 2009, although he was not expected to make his major league debut that season. During spring training, he kept a personal blog that criticized the Orioles' training facilities, as well as the physical abilities of multiple teammates. One Oriole discovered this blog and printed out excerpts that he displayed around the clubhouse; this discovery caused friction between Arrieta and the rest of the team. He opened the regular season with the Double-A Bowie Baysox, posting a 6–3 record with a 2.59 ERA in 11 starts before receiving a promotion to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides on June 12. Although he took the loss in his 2–0 club debut against the Indianapolis Indians, Arrieta pitched six solid innings for Norfolk, allowing only two hits and one solo home run. He made 17 starts for Norfolk that season, posting a 5–8 record and a 3.93 ERA while striking out 78 batters in innings.

After securing his position in the Orioles' 2011 starting rotation, Arrieta made his season debut for the Orioles' home opener at Camden Yards on April 4. He allowed one earned run on six hits while striking out three in six innings of the Orioles' 5–1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. He began the season as one of Baltimore's best starters, leading the team with nine wins in 18 starts, but there was some concern over his health and command: his ERA was 4.90 in that same time frame, he rarely lasted beyond six innings, and he frequently walked batters. Additionally, by early July, the bone spur in his elbow had begun to bother him again. He walked at least one batter per game until July 20, when he threw a career-high 111 pitches in seven innings against the Boston Red Sox. The fibrous mass in his elbow continued to affect his command, however, to the point where he walked a career-high six batters in a game against the New York Yankees. Arrieta underwent a season-ending surgery to remove the mass on August 12, and he finished his sophomore season with a 10–8 record and 5.05 ERA in 22 starts. When Jeremy Guthrie, who had been the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher the last three seasons, was traded to the Colorado Rockies, Arrieta was selected to pitch the first game of Baltimore's 2013 season. He earned the win in the Orioles' 5–2 victory over the Minnesota Twins, allowing only two hits and striking out four batters in seven innings. Arrieta was far less successful as the season progressed, going 3–9 with a 6.13 ERA in 18 starts. He briefly spent time in the bullpen in June, but on July 6, after allowing six runs in innings of a 9–7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Arrieta was demoted to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters, "I think our guys understand that carrying around 6.00 ERAs in the American League just don't cut it". After a minor-league start in which he allowed five earned runs in innings against the Gwinnett Stripers, Arrieta acquired a sport psychologist to aid in the mental aspect of his pitching. His performance improved in kind: Arrieta had a 5.75 ERA in his first six starts for Norfolk and a 1.82 ERA in his last four. In 10 starts for Norfolk, including one complete game, Arrieta went 5–4 with a 4.02 ERA. He was promoted back to Baltimore on September 7, and he made six more major-league appearances to close out the season, all of which came in relief. In 24 appearances for Baltimore, 18 of which were starts, Arrieta went 3–9 with a 6.20 ERA, and he struck out 109 batters in innings. He dressed for the 2012 American League Division Series but was not on the active roster and did not appear in a game. The Orioles lost the series to the New York Yankees and were eliminated from the postseason.

Arrieta outpitched both Brian Matusz and Steve Johnson during spring training to win back a position in the Orioles' 2013 Opening Day starting rotation. He struggled with pitch command through his first four starts of the season, during which he went 1–1 with a 6.63 ERA, as well as 16 walks in 19 innings. On April 22, the Orioles demoted Arrieta to Triple-A and promoted right-handed reliever Alex Burnett in his stead. He spent the remainder of his time with the organization bouncing between Baltimore and Norfolk. In five starts for Baltimore across three major-league stints, Arrieta was 1–2 with a 7.23 ERA. He also made nine appearances for Norfolk, all but one of which were starts, and went 5–3 with a 4.41 ERA there.