Otto: Cubs' Arrieta has much more than 'great stuff'
From the 2015 Cy Young Award to the two no-hitters in the span of 11 regular season starts to the 24 quality starts in a row, the list keeps growing for Jake Arrieta.
As intriguing as it has been to watch Jake string this together, I find it just as intriguing to look at how he got to this point.
Jake is making it look easy out there. And he is making it look easy because he currently possesses that rare combination of great stuff, command, coaching, confidence and training.
The great stuff is Jake's 94-mph fastball, electric breaking ball and his cutter from another planet.
There are plenty of pitchers with great stuff that can light up the radar gun. It's the consistent command, however, that separates the great ones from the mediocre.
Jake had great stuff when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles. But still he struggled and was not able to put it all together back then. Since joining the Cubs, he has established more consistent command.
Great command is all about throwing the right pitch to the right spot. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a strike. Jake gets so many swings on pitches out of the zone because his stuff is so nasty.
Command comes and goes for a pitcher during a game. When Jake does have that command and is able to throw that 94-mph fastball right on the outside corner to right handed hitters, watch out. It will start out about a foot outside to right handed hitters, and then tail back into the strike zone.
He threw back-to-back two-seam fastballs to Adam Duvall late in the game on Thursday. At that point, I thought oh-no, here comes a no-no. While Jake did not have great command early against the Reds, later in the game, he really locked in when he could sniff that no-hitter.
An example of great coaching is a pitching coach and an organization that will let a talented player be himself. And the trick sometimes is to not necessarily make major changes to a player's mechanics.
Chris Bosio is that type of pitching coach. As a former pitcher, Bosio has been there. He understands that a change for the better can be as simple as what side of the rubber a pitcher pitches from. Or slightly changing the grip on a pitcher's fastball.
When Jake came to the Cubs, it was a perfect situation. Bosio was a similar type pitcher, and they clicked right away.
Following his no-hitter, Jake was asked what comes first: success or confidence? Jake's response was that his confidence comes from preparation and knowing that he has done everything possible to prepare for his next game.
Through trial and error, Jake has learned what type of preparation works best for him. A big part is his diet and his workout regimen between starts. I heard Jake jokingly say that he eats plants as part of his diet. There's a good chance that somewhere a pitcher has looked up plant recipes.
For a starting pitcher, it is all about getting your arm and body right for your next start. All of that training and hard work has given Jake such great balance and body control on the mound, which allows him to repeat his delivery and command all his pitches.
Jake has had accomplishments in his career that other players can only dream of achieving. Baseball players are all about routines. Find something that works, and stick with it.
Jake has found that routine. Keep it rolling, Jake.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.