Jake Arrieta’s Long Homer, and Surprisingly Good Bat (VIDEO)

March 29, 2015, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

Jake Arrieta dominated the Rockies yesterday, striking out five over four scoreless innings, and allowing just three hits (no walks). He was so dominant and the Cubs’ bats were so mighty that Arrieta had to head to the bullpen early to get the rest of his work in without having to sit around too long.

Speaking of those mighty bats, despite the 18 runs the Cubs scored, the team had only one homer. This one, from Arrieta, himself:

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Yes, it’s the Arizona air, and yes, Jonathan Gray was apparently throwing meatballs, but that was a bomb. Arrieta is a big, strong guy, and he showed how far he can hit the ball with a smooth, compact swing. Watch out, Travis Wood (who sports a similar swing and plenty of pop).

I joke a bit about Arrieta’s power – he did also double in the game – but he hit .179/.220/.282 last year, and his 34.0% strikeout rate was better than some of his positional counterparts. The .223 wOBA doesn’t sound like much, but the wOBA for all pitchers last year was just .141 (.122/.153/.153 slash). Indeed, among pitchers with at least 40 plate appearances last year, Arrieta’s wOBA ranked 7th.

Arrieta appropriately got love for his dominant pitching in 2014, but he was also an excellent hitting pitcher last year.

Must be the healthy eating …