Frederick Keys pitcher Jake Arrieta acknowledges there is much more at stake for his country in Beijing than a gold medal when he takes the mound next week.

For Arrieta, a 2007 fifth-round pick of the Orioles, the Olympics represents the chance to prove why the sport is America’s national pastime before the baseball is dropped as an Olympic sport.

The Americans certainly didn’t prove their dominance in the last Olympics, as the team failed to qualify for the 2004 Games in Athens, where Cuba won the gold, Australia took silver and Japan claimed bronze.

“The guys on this roster want to show that we have the best team in the world,” Arrieta said. “Not making the Olympics in 2004 only gives us more motivation.”

This story continues below
Advertisement

Arrieta is considered one of the Orioles’ top minor league prospects and was the Opening Day starter for the Keys, the Orioles’ Single-A affiliate.

The former Texas Christian University standout is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 120 strikeouts and 51 walks in 113 innings. He also went 4-0 with a 0.27 ERA for Team USA during a series of games in 2006.

“Well, first of all, you look at him, he is kind of intimidating,” said Team USA manager Davey Johnson. “You can look at him and you don’t want to mess with him in a dark alley.”

Johnson also has local ties. He was an infielder with the Orioles from 1965-72 and managed the team from 1996-97— the last two years the Orioles made the playoffs and had a winning record.

Johnson, who has been managing the national team since 2005, has assembled a roster of minor leaguers since Major League Baseball won’t let its players participate in the Olympics.

“I think we achieved the well-balanced lineup that is critical for Olympic success,” Johnson said.

Even if the U.S. wins the gold medal, it will be bittersweet. The International Olympic Committee announced it’s eliminating baseball and softball from the games after this year, claiming both sports were too regional to be included in the games.

It marks the first time the IOC cut a sport since polo in 1936. U.S. Olympic officials are lobbying for both sports to be reinstated in 2016, but karate, squash, rugby and skateboarding also want to be Olympic sports by 2016.

“I don’t want to knock other sports, but baseball is the ultimate team sport and should be represented in the Olympics,” Arrieta said. “It’s very upsetting to think this great sport that I’ve played my whole life will no longer be represented.”

Bob Watson, the general manager of U.S. Baseball, said it’s imperative for the sport to produce great games in front of packed stadiums in Beijing if baseball is to have an Olympic future.

“I think that we are putting on a real good showing around the world with baseball,” he said. “I believe the Olympics will definitely want to have baseball back in the fold.”

rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com