Jake Arrieta was a top starting pitcher on the free agent market, so Phillies fans shouldn’t be worried about his first start.
The Philadelphia Phillies made a big splash when they signed right-hander Jake Arrieta late in the offseason. Free agency moves were extremely slow this year, which altered the market for top players. Although, the Phils took advantage and acquired Arrieta to be the ace of the staff. Unfortunately for fans, his first start wasn’t great.
The veteran starter lasted four innings, allowing three runs but did strike out five. Due to the fact that Arrieta inked a deal in the middle of spring training, he still has some kinks to work out. Furthermore, the righty really never pitched against real competition until he faced the Miami Marlins after getting into shape in the minor leagues once spring training camp broke.
Phillies fans shouldn’t get all up in arms about him just yet.
The Phillies signed him to be the ace of this staff and set a great example for the young pitchers. Arrieta has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB in recent years. Granted, he has fallen off a little bit from his Cy Young season in 2016, but that could be due to his wear and tear. Fans are already doubting rookie manager Gabe Kapler, and that’s enough to worry about this early in the season.
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Overall, don’t fret about Arrieta. Give him more time to get used to things in the City of Brotherly Love. Once he settles in, look out NL East. Hopefully, he got his worst start of the year out of the way. The Phillies will need him to be the same workhorse he was with the Cubs. That will be the difference maker in how far the Phils move along in the process.