Chicago White Sox: Michael Kopech Has Rough Spring Debut
By Joe Favia
When the White Sox made the acquisition of Michael Kopech among the haul they received from the Boston Red Sox for Chris Sale, they knew it would be a process. On Tuesday, Kopech showed both ends of the pitching spectrum in his start against the Mariners.
Yesterday 20-year-old fireballer Michael Kopech made his starting debut for his new organization in a spring training game. Easily touching 100 mph, Kopech displayed the highly coveted arm that has him ranked as the 16th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com.
Kopech was a first-round selection by Boston in the 2014 MLB Draft. The Mount Pleasant, Texas, native is currently the fourth-highest rated right-handed pitcher, which includes fellow White Sox hurler Lucas Giolito, who is ranked second.
Kopech made waves in the offseason as he was seen in a video hitting 110 mph. The White Sox certainly want to harness that natural arm talent into something reminiscent of aces like Noah Syndergaard or the late Jose Fernandez.
Initial plans are for Kopech to start the season in High-A, or even Double A. He could rise quickly, but with the White Sox projected to be at or near the bottom of the American League in 2017, there is no rush. Even starting in Winston-Salem or Birmingham with the minor league affiliates, Kopech will be a must-follow for ardent baseball fans.
Kopech recently discussed with Fangraphs how he is working to develop complementary pitches that can hopefully make him even more cumbersome to face:
"“My slider is my better secondary, but my changeup is coming along. I’ve been working on it pretty steadily for the last year and a half. It’s a four-seam circle. I used to throw a two-seam changeup, but once I stopped throwing a two-seam fastball there was really no point in throwing a two-seam changeup. By definition it’s a feel pitch, so you have to throw it to get better at throwing it.”"
However, the young righty also gave up four earned runs in his one inning of work, including a three-run homer. Kopech has a long way to go before becoming a key part of the White Sox rotation.
Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Kopech spoke about his struggle in the outing, saying, “The name of the game is executing pitches and I didn’t do that.”
Kopech also talked about opposing six-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. Hernandez got the win in the start over two innings.
"“A fun guy to watch,” Kopech said. “He knows what to do with his pitches. We’re not exactly the same type of pitcher, but that’s what I mean by executing — watching a guy like that putting his stuff where he wants it. Most part his misses are pretty small. That’s something I look forward to being able to control.” (Chicago Sun-Times)"
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The development in 2017 of the young White Sox prospects like Kopech will be very interesting to watch, and could be the start of something special on the South Side.