Squirrels Catcher Arnold Has Faith

Former heavyweight boxing champion and Louisville native Muhammad Ali once said, "Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."

Another Louisville native on the Richmond Flying Squirrels has come to embody this quote through the intense will and determination to return from a gruesome injury. The player is Jeff Arnold and the seminal event was more than two years ago for the catcher.

In the season opener of the 2014 season for the Squirrels, a throw to the plate took Arnold up the line and his spikes got stuck in the ground, twisting his knee. The result was two words an athlete never wants to hear: torn ACL.

"The first fear anytime you have a knee injury as a catcher is, 'will I ever get to play again?'" explained Arnold. "It's not a guarantee so that was my initial concern. Once I learned about the injury I gained some confidence that I'd be back out there."

With the future of his baseball career in doubt, Arnold found comfort in the form of his faith and family.

"Faith was a big key to me because in life and baseball there's so many ups and downs," Arnold said. "It's easy to have life circumstances get in the way, but having that constant faith in God, there's a reason behind it - maybe it was to strengthen my faith."

"It would have been easy for my family to say that it might be time to move on. This isn't a great paying job, so it's nice to have their support knowing that I'm going at it 100 percent to get back on the field and just see what happens."

After sitting out the entire 2014 season, Arnold returned in 2015, but was limited to just 21 games in San Jose as a second surgery was needed to achieve a full recovery. Finally, Arnold is back to full strength in 2016 and looking to make a difference with the entire process behind him.

"It means a lot to be back just because it was a long road," Arnold said. "You take for granted when you're healthy all the time, just being out there and competing. But when you don't have it for two years, you think about it a lot and how bad you want to be back out there. It means a lot to be able to play with the guys again."

Growing up in Louisville, Ky. in the heart of a basketball town, Arnold was a devoted fan of coach Rick Pitino and the Cardinals basketball team, not taking much of an interest in their baseball program. However, Arnold knew that the University of Louisville was the place to continue his baseball career after he met with coach Dan McDonnell on the campus and saw their facilities.

As the hometown kid at Louisville, Arnold still enjoyed the advantages of a cooked meal from his mother, he met his wife, Caley, while dressed as an Oompa Loompa at a Halloween party, and he continues to personify the sentiment of the bluegrass state today with the tunes of country singer Dierks Bentley as he walks up to the plate. In terms of his baseball career, though, McDonnell was a driving force into the catcher Arnold has become.

"I love Coach McDonnell, he was just a great motivator," Arnold said. "The thing I learned the most was baserunning from him. It helps me still today not only when I'm on the base paths offensively, but as a catcher it helps me think about how a guy is going to try to take advantage and get an extra base."

Baseball is largely a thinking man's game, but even more so, for the catcher. Those who have been around Arnold have seen his cerebral approach behind the plate which has drawn comparisons to the current St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.

"He's a class act, reminds me of Mike Matheny a lot," said Squirrels pitching coach Steve Kline. "Just the way he carries himself, he's not a real talkative, yelling and screaming type guy, but he's into the game."

Kline and Matheny were often the battery for the Cardinals from 2001-2004 when Kline was used to stifle any chance of a comeback as the set-up man. During this time, Matheny became an unquestioned leader and one of the more accomplished defensive catchers, garnering four Gold Glove Awards as a member of the Cardinals.

Arnold possesses many of these same qualities. He uses a calm demeanor to build trust in his teammates, and is regarded as one of the highest rated defensive catchers in the Giants organization. Arnold's stellar defensive play was highlighted in 2013 when he was named San Jose's Defensive Player of the Year. In fact, the combination of these attributes have been crucial in developing a repertoire with the young pitching prospects such as Tyler Beede and Kyle Crick.

"He helps the pitchers out big time," explained Kline. "He's my eyes behind the plate for me. When he says something, I really believe it so it's nice to have him back there."

Already an elite defensive catcher, Arnold recognizes the need to improve his hitting and become a true Louisville slugger if he wants to follow in the footsteps of his 2014 roommate Matt Duffy and find a home in San Francisco.

"Defense is my strong suit so I know I have to get better offensively if I want to play this game for a long time," Arnold said. "I have to cut down on strikeouts, put the ball in play more and find a way to make more consistent contact."

Nevertheless, Arnold's journey remains a remarkable comeback story of will and perseverance to continue a dream, still hoping that the best days are still to come.

Cory Van Dyke is a graduate of Manchester High School and is headed to Virginia Tech in the fall. He was a recipient of the Rich Murray Journalism Scholarship and has written for RVA Game Break and the Village News.