Top 119 Quotes & Sayings by Jake Arrieta

I was in Baltimore in 2012 and 2013.

The preparation is what allows the success to happen naturally.

Hamstring flexibility and hip mobility for me are the two most important factors on the field.

You play your surroundings. You pitch accordingly. Not that I drastically try to change my game plan based on the score or the team or stadium, but you have to take everything into consideration.

I expect to beat everybody I play. It's kind of that quiet confidence that I have inside that I try to present to the opponent without getting too overboard. Because there are times when I seem composed, but inside I'm losing my mind.

'ACE' is one of the acronyms I've used over the years. It stands for 'Acting cures everything.' You weren't promised to come to the ballpark and feel great on your start day. Basically, how can you put something on display to the opponent that gives the appearance of 'OK, this guy is locked in today,' whether you are or not?

I watch what I eat, and I train properly.

I think the average MLB career now is just a few years. The quote that has always resonated with me is 'We're going to be former players a lot longer than we were current players.'

I don't think I've ever been as humbled as I have been in Pilates. It's incredible how much body control and how much isolated strength you have to have to complete these movements successfully.

That's one the main reasons we live in Austin. The weather is so nice for the majority of the offseason, and it's easy for us to get out and ride bikes and get on some trails, to walk together as a family. Sometimes I'll go out for a trail run. We just like to do things outdoors.

If two guys want to go see each other, let them be in the middle, let them throw some punches, then break it up.

I think the beard plays a slight factor to my presence on the mound. It's kind of part of the persona now. Everyone in Chicago embraced it, so I got to keep it. I can't ditch it now.

Once I get completely right mechanically and with command, maybe I only use two or three pitches to get through seven innings.

At the end of the day, all we're trying to do is get the hitter off balance. Get him in a position where he's not strong in the strike zone.

That's one of my focuses, is to increase my flexibility and strength and have greater range of motion.

Pilates has been around a long time but maybe was taboo in this sport. I think it's only a matter of time before you see a reformer in every big league clubhouse.

At this point, I'm just grinding through it, trying to establish strikes in the zone with my pitches, using some information the opposition gives me, and kind of moving forward in that regard.

You feel everybody has your best interests in mind, but you come to find out that's not necessarily the case.

People asking my teammates, 'Is Arrieta a guy who'd try to cheat the system?' Honestly, hearing that kind of stuff come from some of the best players in baseball is honestly a compliment. I view it that way.

I eat plants. I eat lean meat. I work out.

I could be 30 pounds heavier if I played football. But I play baseball, and I do Pilates.

That's why it's so important to have that gap between your fastball and off-speed pitches: then, when you effectively locate your fastball, it plays at a higher velocity.

You want to be paid in respect to how your peers are paid.

There's food and supplements that you can take legally that will better your body and help you stay healthy. Shortcuts are something that's always been around all sports, but as a union, we're trying to do the best we can to weed those guys out of the game.

I think flexibility in general is something that needs to be reinforced, and not only baseball players but all sports.

I repeat my delivery consistently. My balance is much improved. And the mental and physical toughness Pilates requires to complete movements the correct way have directly helped me on the mound.

There were so many things in Baltimore not many people know about. I had struggles with my pitching coach. A lot of guys did.

People had lost faith in me in Baltimore, and rightfully so. I knew that was not the guy I was.

Being in the same sentence as Bob Gibson, that's incredible.

We're tested eight, nine times a year - blood tested, urine tested, so I mean, if people think I'm doing something, tell them to increase the testing.

I trust how much my ball moves. I can throw it at you or this far off the plate and have it end up on the black. That's where I kind of went to the next level. I knew what all my pitches were doing. Even in '14, I didn't have that ability.

Sequencing is a really big factor in preparing for a team that you've faced several times. For me, at the end of the day, I feel like if I execute, regardless if I were to use same sequencing as I have in the past against these guys, I still feel confident in my ability to have success.

There are so many things on Twitter, so many mentions, it's hard to get through all of them.

Early in my career, I wasn't good in the strike zone early. I was good in the strike zone late, which is not a good thing.

I've always been in good shape. I just sucked early in my career from a statistical perspective.

I was giving some of my teammates a hard time, saying I've got more pop than they do.

I enjoyed my time in Baltimore. I really did. I learned so much.

I don't like to see any sucker punches. I do think, in the heat of battle, if you're getting hit on the hip with 98, then you should be able to go out and see somebody.

I wouldn't want to disappoint my family, my friends, my fans.

What I don't like to see is a lot of chirping and guys just talking crap to each other. If you got something wrong with a guy, go see him.

With a runner at second base with nobody out, you're trying to punch somebody out. You understand when there are guys in scoring position; hitters like to be aggressive early.

Typically, being under the strike zone with the sinker isn't a big issue. I need to be a little bit higher with the strike zone earlier in the count. If you miss under with one here and there when you're ahead, it's really not an issue.

I'm not really into the statements kind of thing.

Unfortunately, the business side of the game shows its head every once in a while. But I still think there's opportunity and chances that we can have good conversations as far as an extension's concerned.

Sometimes, when I break my hands, I kind of go too far behind my body, and what that will do, wherever my right arm's going to go, my left arm's going to go.

It's something that is very comforting. Just the process of them moving throughout their stages of early childhood. Learning to walk, learning to talk. Reaching out for you for the first hug, telling you they love you.

At an early age, if you develop a delivery or a throwing motion that is direct to the plate, then that's fine. If you have one that's slightly open, that's fine, too.

I'm not saying I won't make a mistake throughout the game.

As a kid, you put yourself in those positions. Bases loaded, two outs, you're at the plate. That's kind of the way I envision it as a kid playing whiffle ball or whatever the case was.

When it comes up with my age, I'm like, let's just end the conversation there. That's irrelevant to me. I'll pitch until I'm 40.

You rarely see any blowout games.

I like my chances toe to toe with just about anybody.

What I did before in my career you can pretty much throw out the window. Out of sight, out of mind.

I personally don't think guys should get multiple chances when guys fail a steroid test.

There's plenty of situations where we'll come up with guys on base, less than two outs, and those are opportunities for us to help ourselves out.

Time flies really quickly. It feels like only a few months ago that I was traded over here and started my career as a Cub in 2013.

I've heard players, and I'm talking about some of the best players in the league, question whether I've taken steroids or not. Some of the things I hear are pretty funny, and some people are idiots, frankly.

On the road, we're hitting in the cages during our normal batting practice for our position players.

You really want to try to continue to pile up outs as often as you possibly can. Whether they get a hit or not really doesn't affect the way you continue to approach that lineup, especially with a five-run lead.

I care about the integrity of the game.