There have been plenty of cases of pitchers turning their careers around for the better after being traded to a new team. Jake Arrieta's wonderful season has been the culmination of a turnaround that started when he was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago Cubs with Pedro Strop for Steve Clevenger and Scott Feldman. Arrieta would turn from Baltimore bust into the ace of the Chicago Cubs and it could be argued their MVP.
How did this happen? A look at Arrieta's Baltimore numbers and his Chicago numbers are mind boggling in their contrast. Over four seasons with the Orioles, Arrieta appeared in 69 games, starting 63. He posted a 5.46 ERA in 358 IP, striking out 277. By contrast, in a Cubs uniform, Arrieta has started 67, posted a 2.26 ERA in 437.1 IP, striking out 440. Notoriously unreliable in Baltimore, Arrieta has been the exact opposite in Chicago. Why?
An interesting article on Fangraphs asked Arrieta the reason for his turnaround, "I moved away from being concerned with mechanics to being more conscious of the positioning of my body and being able to put it in certain spots more consistently." As much as that sounds like mechanics, it differs in that Arrieta believes it is about putting himself in the correct position at the moment the ball releases from his hand. That is what separates good pitchers from great pitchers and Baltimore Jake Arrieta from the Chicago one.
However, as the Fangraphs article notes, if you're looking for a specific change that Arrieta made, you won't find it. Ultimately, where Arrieta is concerned, it is about finding the comfort in your individuality. More from Arrieta via Fangraphs, "It's all individually based. Guys are done a disservice sometimes when people try to make them the guy that they want them to be rather than trying to reinforce the guy that they are, and helping them understand where their body needs to be at release."
Ultimately, What Jake Arrieta learned was what matters most is the position you are in at release. I guess we got an answer after all.
