The Cubs Jake Arrieta has been noticeably slower to start 2017. And when I say slow, I don’t mean Arrieta has struggled this season – he’s been classic Jake through three starts – but I mean it literally. He’s been throwing a lot slower to start 2017, compared to what we are used to seeing from the whiskered-righty, close to four or five miles per hour slower actually.
His first start of the season, Cubs twitter was quick to point out that Arrieta’s fastball looked less-than-average, coming in at about 90-91 mph. However, his stuff was still solid and he would go on to pitch six innings of four hit baseball, allowing only one single run. While he had calmed the nerves of the Cub faithful, Arrieta had the full attention of the baseball-statistical savvy as they saw one of the game’s most explosive pitchers struggling to throw harder than his 38-year-old teammate John Lackey.
The news of Arrieta and his low velocity exploded after Fangraphs writer Jeff Sullivan wrote this story titled, ” What on Earth Happened With Jake Arrieta?” The story dives into Arrieta’s velocity and while losing speed on your fastball is never good, it’s not the end of the world either. Arrieta was asked about his lack of high velocity after his win against the Brewers on April 9th, and he even referenced the article to CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney in a quote.
“Everybody wants to talk about this,” Arrieta said after Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. “There’s FanGraph articles. I don’t care about that.
“I know that kind of stuff can come and go from time to time. I had periods last year where I was at the same spot I am right now. I had one in June, near the All-Star break. It is what it is. I still have good feel for everything. Movement is really good. The command’s good.
“When the 95-to-97 comes back, it’s going to be tough for teams. And it still is.”
Arrieta seems content with where he is at right now, however, his declining velocity combined with his lack of control throughout 2016 is reason enough for some early concerns. Personally, I brushed off the comments and concerns initially, knowing that the league was making the switch from their old velocity tracking system, PITCH F/X to using the MLB’s very own Statcast system. But once I discovered that most pitchers velocities were being increase by the new system, ala Carlos Martinez and his constant 100 mph fastballs, I started to grow more wary of the the former NL Cy Young award winner.
Interesting to see Jake Arrieta’s velocity slowly drop on his pitches as the game is progressing pic.twitter.com/6JWuR7sRgb
— Daren Willman (@darenw) April 15, 2017
But just yesterday, Cubs skipper Joe Maddon shed some light on the situation, as he explained why exactly Arrieta’s fastball looked so lackluster to start 2017.
