Jake Arrieta almost walked away from baseball in 2013. Now, his teammate and friend, Tommy La Stella, may do the same.
The Chicago Cubs and the MLB would be pretty different if Jake Arrieta decided to quit baseball. According to CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney, he almost did.
In 2012, Arrieta was the opening day starter for the Orioles but was one of the worst pitchers in the league. He had a 6.20 ERA in 18 starts and 114.2 innings. In 2013, he made four starts for Baltimore before being demoted to Triple-A for the fourth time in his career. In those four starts, he pitched 19 innings with a 6.63 ERA.
During this time, Arrieta considered moving on from baseball. He grew tired of moving back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk, Virginia. Arrieta also had a family to think about and their future.
"“Baseball is something that I’ve loved to do since I was a little kid, but it’s not everything. I had to reevaluate some things. I knew I could always pitch this way, but there were times where it seemed like maybe I wasn’t going to get to that point…It’s just part of life that we had to deal with.”"
Jake was considering moving on to various business ventures. He has a business background at Texas Christian University and had enough connections to leave the sport he loved. But things turned around.
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In July of 2013, the Chicago Cubs traded Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger to the Baltimore Orioles for Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop. Arrieta was immediately part of the major-league roster and got comfortable fast. In 9 starts, he posted a 3.66 ERA and a 1.123 WHIP. The change of scenery and new jersey fit him well as he continued on to a 10-5 record in 2014.
In 2015, Arrieta was a Cy Young award winner and arguably the most dominant pitcher in the entire league. He won 22 games with a 1.77 ERA and a 0.865 WHIP. He also led the Cubs to their first playoff appearance since 2008.
Now, the dominant righty continues his career as one of the best in the league. He is 16-5 with a 2.84 ERA for the best team in baseball despite his recent struggles. Arrieta is a later bloomer and in less than 2 seasons he went from a potential prospect flop to a National League Cy Young winner with two no-hitters.
Arrieta’s perseverance is a great story but it is being told because Tommy La Stella is considering quitting baseball. In July, the Cubs demoted La Stella and he failed to report to Triple-A. La Stella stated that he would retire if he was not with the MLB team. La Stella was hitting .295/.388/.457 before being sent down.
He eventually chose to report to the Triple-A team and continued to play well. Now, he is back with the major league roster despite his past outburst. Understanding La Stella’s discontent will be important in accepting him back into the clubhouse and Arrieta is the perfect bridge.
La Stella has been in the major leagues for 3 seasons now. Arrieta was in his 4th when he considered quitting. And according to the Chicago Sun-Times, La Stella didn’t rule out retiring despite being called up.
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Frustration in a person’s career is tough for anyone, but opportunities in the MLB don’t come easy. And success stories of players turning it around, like Arrieta, are far fewer than the ones of a Triple-A player hanging up the cleats. Hopefully, Arrieta can lend some advice to La Stella and that there are no issues for the Cubs as they coast into the playoffs.