Arrieta inks deal with Orioles
8/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 17, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU junior right-handed pitcher Jake Arrieta came to terms with the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday and will enter the professional ranks. His deal set a record for a fifth-round pick. He becomes the seventh Horned Frog to ink a deal with the Orioles since 2002."We are obviously really happy for Jake and proud of his accomplishments to this point," said Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle. "Jake is very talented and he has arrived at this point through his hard work and commitment to his teammates at TCU. It's nice to see a player of his caliber improve during his time at TCU and raise his draft status to such a high level."
"It's exciting to see all of the hard work finally pay off," said Arrieta. "It's something I've been waiting for for so long and it is finally here. I am going to work very hard and do my best to get to that next level."
In 2007, Arrieta finished the season strong as he was 1-0 in his last two starts, allowing just one run in his final 13 innings pitched. He posted a 9-3 record with a 3.01 ERA in 17 starts. In 98 2/3 innings pitched, the junior fanned a team-high 93 batters. Arrieta was named first-team all-conference after posting a 4-1 record in eight starts. He had a team-low 3.17 ERA in league action.
"TCU really helped me mature first, as a person and secondly, as a baseball player," said Arrieta. "I got to experience so much while I was here, both on the field and off. I know I wouldn't be where I am today without TCU."
Arrieta had an outstanding first season in Division I baseball, tying for the nation's lead in wins with 14. The Mountain West Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year was 14-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 2006. In 111 innings pitched, he fanned 111 batters while walking just 37. He was responsible for two of the Frogs three shutouts in 2006 as he twirled a complete-game shutout against Utah on May 5 and combined to shutout UT-Pan American on May 12. Three times, the sophomore was honored as the MWC Pitcher of the Week.
During the summer of 2006, Arrieta became the first Horned Frog to earn a spot on the 22-man Team USA roster. He made six starts for the National Team and finished the summer 4-0 with a miniscule 0.27 ERA. In 33.2 innings pitched, the right-hander struck out 34 batters and allowed just one earned run to cross the plate. He gave up 11 base hits and combined to shut out three opponents.
For his career, Arrieta ranks tied for fourth all-time in the TCU record book with 23 victories. He was 23-7 in 36 appearances for the Purple and White. He has a career ERA of 2.66 in 209 2/3 innings pitched to go along with 204 punch outs.
Arrieta is slated to take a physical on Monday and then report to Class A Aberdeen to begin workouts. He will most likely end up on a playoff team in an attempt to get some work on the mound before heading to instructional league this fall.
