A biography for Jake Arrietahasn’t been written yet.
“Really being able to harness my mental approach has kind of taken me to the next level, and obviously maturing as a player and a teammate and as a person. Those are things that are necessary to achieve success in this game. There's no other way around it.”
“What I don't like to see is a lot of chirping and guys just talking crap to each other. If you got something wrong with a guy, go see him.”
“I'm extremely hairy. It pretty much connects from the top of my head to my toes with a nice upper body sweater/track jacket type of thing.”
“I've always been in good shape. I just sucked early in my career from a statistical perspective.”
“I had teammates like Chris Davis. Manny Machado was really young and such a good kid. Seeing his development, it's ridiculous. He's going to get bigger. He's going to get stronger. He's going to get even better.”
“It's something that is very comforting. Just the process of them moving throughout their stages of early childhood. Learning to walk, learning to talk. Reaching out for you for the first hug, telling you they love you.”
“I wouldn't want to disappoint my family, my friends, my fans.”
“I've been through a lot in my career, and the failure that I've gone through makes me really appreciate the moments of success much more.”
“I was in Baltimore in 2012 and 2013.”
“Unfortunately, the business side of the game shows its head every once in a while. But I still think there's opportunity and chances that we can have good conversations as far as an extension's concerned.”
“I know the Cubs don't typically do six- or seven-year deals, but I think there are obviously times when there should be exceptions. I think I've done pretty well here.”
“It's going to come down to executing, trying to keep guys off balance and disrupting timing. That's something you can do regardless of how many times you face a lineup or face certain hitters.”
“Just know, especially when they were infants and toddlers, the thought these two children depend on us for everything in their lives 24/7. That's a pretty incredible responsibility.”
“You really want to try to continue to pile up outs as often as you possibly can. Whether they get a hit or not really doesn't affect the way you continue to approach that lineup, especially with a five-run lead.”
“People asking my teammates, 'Is Arrieta a guy who'd try to cheat the system?' Honestly, hearing that kind of stuff come from some of the best players in baseball is honestly a compliment. I view it that way.”
“I like my chances toe to toe with just about anybody.”
“Everybody here has the ability to throw a fastball down and away or throw a breaking ball in the dirt for a swing and a miss. But are we able to stay in that moment and understand what we're trying to accomplish and see it in our mind before we execute and then make the pitch?”
“Dry deliveries. That helps when I get the ball back in my hand - like I never really stopped throwing. The goal for me is to increase arm strength.”
“I'm not saying I won't make a mistake throughout the game.”
“As you get a little older, you understand what you need to do to be good, regardless of who likes it or doesn't like it. It's my career. And at the end of the day, it's going to be how I think I can do it best.”