Warming Up With Jake Arrieta
How did you spend the off-season?
I spent it in Austin, Texas, with my wife and our puppy. We have a baby on the way, she's twelve weeks along. [We do] A lot of outdoor activities, ride the bike to the field pretty much every day. My wife and I are real outdoorsy, just about any nice day we like to be doing something outside. Whether it's taking a hike, a walk or climbing a mountain, whatever it is we just like to be outside and enjoy nature. Spend some time with family, do some traveling. We went to Colorado, we kind of did a little bit of everything to be honest with you.
What are some of the best adventures you have been on with your wife?
One of the best experiences we had was, we went to Vail, Colorado, for a week this offseason. That was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time on the mountain. I didn't do any skiing, and that was probably a smart decision. We happened to do a lot of other fun things. We spent some time in Boulder, Colorado, visited a friend there. Did some hiking, climbed the Flatiron mountains. That was a really good experience for the both of us, and doing a lot activities around Austin. Kayaking and stuff like that on Lake Austin, those are some of the things we really enjoy doing together.
Is it frustrating as an athlete, and especially as a pitcher, not being able to partake in certain recreational activities like skiing or basketball?
I wouldn't say it is frustrating. At times it's tough to see your close friends and family doing certain activities that you really shouldn't partake in during your career. That's just something that comes with the territory of being blessed enough to play this game of professional baseball and do it for a living. There are sacrifices you make to be in this line of work and I am very happy to make those sacrifices. With that being said, I do get a little bit jealous seeing some friends ski and wakeboard and do that kind of stuff, but I am happy to put it on the back burner for as long as I'm fortunate enough to play this game.
How was Orioles FanFest this year?
This was actually my first FanFest, and there was a great turnout. I think there was between 10,000 and 12,000 fans there. We had a great turnout. The panel portion of FanFest was a lot of fun for me. I answered some fan questions and got to sit up there with the starting pitchers and kind of talk about some things we look forward to accomplishing this year. I got to sign a bunch of autographs, which was nice. I think one of my favorite parts of it was just seeing all the guys, a lot of them for the first time again. And meeting a lot of the new players, getting to put faces with names and start to develop some relationships. Overall, it was a very positive experience for me, and a lot of the guys on this team.
There is a lot of young talent in the Orioles starting rotation. How good do the five of you expect to be?
I said it for a long time, I think a couple of years ago I started saying, 'The sky is the limit.' I know it's a cliché, but I think that's really where we stand. If we all continue to develop, we're going to continue to gain experience and be thrown in certain situations that we haven't been in yet. If we are able to overcome some adversity and just continue to stay on the path that we are currently on, then I think we will do a lot of special things. I think that everybody is really taking notice of our offense this year so far in spring training and the kind of runs we are capable of putting up. That's going to take a lot of the pressure off of our rotation. We're going to be able to take them on knowing that in the back of our minds, if we execute our game plan and do what we need to do, more times than not we are going to come out ahead with the potent offense that we possess. I think we are more than capable of doing a lot of great things this year. With a little good fortune and a lot of healthy arms, we are going to be pretty special this year.
How long did it take you to feel comfortable at the Major League Level?
Well, getting comfortable at the Major League level is probably something that a lot of guys haven't experienced yet, even if they are everyday big league players. The pace of the game is so much quicker than it is everywhere else. I don't care how polished you are or how good you are in Double-A or Triple-A, there is definitely a learning curve at the next level. It definitely does take some time to get used to. Some players make the adjustments quicker than others, but that's just part of your development. I think it took me a month or so to really settle in, get comfortable with the atmosphere and just playing in the big league setting. I think I am on the right track and just need to continue to become more comfortable each time I'm out there.
Who were some of the people who have helped you feel more comfortable as a Major League pitcher?
A bunch of staff members and a bunch of the players. [Former Baysox Pitching Coach] Mike Griffin was very instrumental in my development in Triple-A. Larry McCall in [Bowie] helped me quite a bit, Blaine Beatty was my pitching coach in A-ball. All those guys helped me take strides to get to the next level. [Former Orioles Pitching Coach Rick] Kranitz last year played a big role in certain things in my development, and [new Orioles Pitching Coach] Mark Conner this year. I've only been with him for a short time, but I've really been able to learn a lot from him. Small things, not necessarily big changes here and there, but just little things that I can kind of piece together to make the transition, to make this game at this level a lot easier. A lot of the veteran players, [Kevin] Millwood last year, [Jeremy] Guthrie has continued to be a big part of my development. Guys like [Mark] Hendrickson also really help. I've honestly gotten help from pretty much everyone in this organization and I'm really grateful for that.
Do you keep in touch with any of those staff members that you mentioned?
I talk to Grif pretty much every day. He's here in big league camp, and I talk with him at least once a day. He was the pitching coach on my field when I was doing my live [Batting Practice] and doing my tracking with hitters in the box. There's a comfort level there with him, helping me out and we have a great relationship. He kind of knows what to say to me in certain situations, to help me make an adjustment. I'm just very grateful for that relationship, and I think that's something rare to find in pretty much any organization. I'm really grateful for that.
You only walked two batters in three September starts last season, were you disappointed the Orioles shut you down when you were pitching so well?
I would have liked to have finished the season out with the rest of the guys and to continue to pitch on into September. They wanted to be careful with my innings, and I think that's something that they have stuck with, keep guys on their development and not let them get over a certain amount of innings until they've reached that 200 inning mark. I think I had 150 innings a couple years ago, and 180 last year. I think this year I'll be more than capable of approaching and exceeding that 200 inning mark. I would have liked to continue to pitch, but for my development and my future in this organization, I think it was a smart decision to shut me down when they did.
You went 3-1 against the AL East last year, including 2-0 in September. How did you approach those teams, knowing they are some of the best in the American League?
I kind of thrive off taking those types of teams, that caliber of competition. I don't really look at them as 'Oh, you're facing the Yankees,' or, 'Oh, you're facing Boston. How are you going to approach those guys, are you going to do anything different?' If you start doing that, that's when you're going to struggle, you're going to have to deal with a lot of adversity and failure. I stuck with the same routine, the same game plan, attack those guys the way I knew how to and trust my stuff. I was fortunate enough to pitch well against those teams. I plan on doing the same thing this year.
Who do you think will be a bigger part of the Orioles success this year, the new additions to the lineup or the new arms in the bullpen?
I think a combination of the bullpen and the lineup, if we are weak in one of those areas, it's going to affect the other area. I think they kind of go hand-in-hand. If the starter goes deep in the game, keeps the team in the ballgame, then we as starters hand the ball to whoever it may be. [Kevin] Gregg, [Michael] Gonzalez, JJ [James Johnson], [Jason] Berken, any of those guys, if we keep us in the game and hand the ball to them I think we feel confident that they are going to be able to do their job and get the ball to our closer, whoever that may be. We are definitely going to score runs. I don't think there is really a question mark there. I think everyone knows the quality of hitters that we have in our lineup. Hopefully D-Lee [Derrek Lee] is still in the mix here, in a week or so hopefully he can get healthy with that hand. If that's the case, we're going to be special.
How has your spring been so far?
I feel really good about the spring. It's kind of going exactly like I planned it to. Each outing, I've gotten stronger, a little more comfortable with hitters in the box, live situations. Commanding the fastball is coming on great, and everything works off of that. The breaking ball, the changeup. Early in camp, I've been able to establish that pitch really well and I only see it getting better as I continue to go out there every fifth day. With opening day right around the corner, I think we're all right on track.
In baseball, you know you have "made it" when you have a bobblehead made in your likeness. How does it feel to have your own bobblehead?
I actually found out from a couple family members. They sent me texts and gave me some calls and were wondering how they could get their hands on an Arrieta bobblehead, and I didn't even know that I had one yet. I heard about it from them. It's great to have that bobblehead, but I'm still waiting for the Baltimore Orioles bobblehead. Hopefully we can get one of those this year.
Baysox Baseball - We'll Knock Your Sox Off. The Baysox open their 19th season as the class Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles on the road in Harrisburg Thursday, April 7. They play their first game at Prince George's Stadium Thursday, April 14, at 7:05 p.m. Baysox ticket packages are now available at www.baysox.com