Phillies: Jake Arrieta looks ready to go in latest video
Phillies starting pitcher Jake Arrieta appears ready for the 60-game season
Of all the 60 players that the Philadelphia Phillies will add to their pool list ahead of this Sunday afternoon’s deadline, right-handed starting pitcher Jake Arrieta might have the most to prove in “spring training 2.”
The right-hander is entering the final year of his three-year pact with the Phillies. Injury woes aside, the 10-year veteran has not exactly fulfilled expectations.
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Coincidentally, Arrieta is the most recent professional pitcher in all of baseball to earn a winning decision. The Phillies’ 8-4 Grapefruit League victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on March 12 was the last game to conclude before the shutdown.
Despite improving his spring record to 2-1, Arrieta left the game early due to right shoulder stiffness. On Friday, the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner took to social media to share a video, showing he is fully healthy and has been gearing up for the season.
Along with the 30-second video, the right-hander captioned: “Let’s roll.”
The video, showing Arrieta throwing some heat against a live batter, is the first fans have heard from him since the shutdown. Also, it was his first post on the Twitter and Instagram social media platforms since February.
So far, across 55 starts in red pinstripes, the Missouri native has gone a combined 18-19 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.369 WHIP.
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The Phillies will need Arrieta to show some resemblance to his former World Series-winning self as a Chicago Cub, given he is slated as the No. 3 starter in the rotation behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Each starting pitcher in the rotation is figured to receive anywhere from 10 to 12 starts. And, given the season is just 60 games, that leaves little margin for error.
If the Phillies are able to qualify, Arrieta would be a huge mentor Nola, Wheeler, and most other pitchers on the staff who never experienced the postseason. That is part of the reason why the Phillies signed him following the Cubs’ 2017 NLCS loss; that series, the right-hander earned a winning decision in his only start against the potent Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 1.35 ERA.
Not to mention, Arrieta is on a contract year, so he might have some extra motivation to succeed. Judging off the video, he seems more than ready for the resumption of spring training and the 2020 season.