Michael Kopech Pitcher

     
 


Kopech Video

Born: April 30, 1996
Mount Pleasant, TX
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 1st round, 2014
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Mount Pleasant HS (TX)

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SoxProspects.com Links
Scouting Scratch: Fall Instructs Part One (10.8.14)
2014 Top 40 Season in Review
The Write-Up: Kopech, Almonte and De Jesus (10.14.15)
2015 Top 40 Season in Review
Kopech 'amped up,' but effective in first start (6.19.16)
Scouting Scratch: Michael Kopech (6.23.16)
Trade Analysis: Scouting the pitching prospects... (12.7.16)

Traded to Chicago (AL) with Luis Alexander Basabe, Victor Diaz, and Yoan Moncada for Chris Sale (December 2016)

Physical Description: Prototypical pitcher’s frame. Was tall and lean with the frame to support added size when he entered the system, but has added significant muscle over the last few years. Solid athlete.  

Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a high leg lift. Live, loose arm. Plus arm speed. High effort delivery that has already improved since high school. Jerky mechanics. Turns at the waist prior to coming forward, but the turn is less pronounced than it once was. Long arm action behind. Stiff front side and lands off-balance, hard to the first base side. Could have issues repeating delivery in longer outings.  

Fastball: 93-97 mph. Have seen him top out at 98 mph, but reportedly has hit 100+ mph. Explosive pitch with plus life. Sinking movement. Plus-plus potential. Well below-average command. Command will take time to develop.  

Slider: 84-87 mph. Plus potential, showed wipeout potential and bat-missing ability.  

Changeup: 85-88 mph. Firm, some drop. Similar arm action, needs to improve consistency with arm speed. Below-average potential.  

Curveball: 79-82 mph. Loose break, drops arm slot. Flashes tight rotation and depth. Average potential. The club has reportedly asked Kopech to shelve the pitch to focus on his other three offerings, which makes sense as when he throws both in the same outing they end up blending together in a slurvy breaking ball in the low-80s.

Career Notes: Committed to the University of Arizona prior to signing.  

Summation: Number three starter potential if things turn out right. Potential for a plus-plus fastball and plus slider. Long way to go developmentally. Needs to improve consistency with delivery, command, and control and must refine secondary offerings. Power pitcher profile. Can get in his own head on the mound and struggle to throw strikes in some outings. Delivery and command and control profile could push to bullpen where stuff could play in late inning role.

 
   
  Pitching Stats                                          
  year team lg level org age w l % era g gs sv ip h r er hr bb so whip k/bb k/9
  2014 Mount Pleasant HS --- HS --- 18 3 0 1.000 0.44 11 --- 0 64.0 25 14 4 0 18 129 0.67 7.17 18.14
  2014 GCL Red Sox GCL Rk Bos  18 0 1 0.000 4.61 8 8 0 13.2 11 7 7 0 9 16 1.46 1.78 10.54
  2015 Greenville SAL A Bos 19 4 5 0.444 2.63 16 15 0 65.0 53 25 19 2 27 70 1.23 2.59 9.69
  2016 Lowell NYPL A- Bos 20 0 0 --- 0.00 1 1 0 4.1 4 0 0 0 4 4 1.85 1.00 8.31
  2016 Salem Car A+ Bos 20 4 1 0.800 2.25 11 11 0 52.0 25 15 13 1 29 82 1.04 2.83 14.19
  2016 Surprise AFL Fall Bos 20 3 0 1.000 2.01 6 6 0 22.1 18 5 5 2 8 26 1.16 3.25 10.48
  2017 Birmingham Sou AA CWS 21 8 7 0.533 2.87 22 22 0 119.1 77 45 38 6 60 155 1.15 2.58 11.69
  2017 Charlotte IL AAA CWS 21 1 1 0.500 3.00 3 3 0 15.0 15 5 5 0 5 17 1.33 3.40 10.20
  2018 Charlotte IL AAA CWS 22 7 7 0.500 3.70 24 24 0 126.1 101 58 52 9 60 170 1.27 2.83 12.11
  2018 Chicago AL MLB CWS 22 1 1 0.500 5.02 4 4 0 14.1 20 8 8 4 2 15 1.54 7.50 9.42
  2019 DNP-INJ --- --- CWS 23 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
  2020 DNP-INJ --- --- CWS 24 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
  2021 Chicago AL MLB CWS 25 4 3 0.571 3.50 44 4 0 69.1 54 27 27 9 24 103 1.13 4.29 13.40
  2022 Chicago AL MLB CWS 26 5 9 0.357 3.54 25 25 0 119.1 85 53 47 15 57 105 1.19 1.84 7.92
  2023 Chicago AL MLB CWS 27 5 12 0.294 5.43 30 27 0 129.1 115 80 78 29 91 134 1,59 1.47 9.32
   
  Additional Player Info  
  Pronunciation: KOE-peck
First Pro Contract:
June 17, 2014 by Tim Collinsworth
Signing Bonus: $1,500,000
MiLB Debut: July 12, 2014 (GCL)
Added to 40-man: August 21, 2018 (CWS)
MLB Debut:
August 21, 2018 (CWS)
     
  Awards
2014 Perfect Game First-Team All-American
South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week (April 20-26, 2015)
2015 South Atlantic League All-Star
Red Sox Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month (July 2016)
Carolina League Pitcher of the Week (August 22-28, 2016)
2016 Arizona Fall League Rising Star
SoxProspects.com Awards
2015 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star
SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week (April 20-26, 2015)
2016 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star
SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week (August 15-21, 2016)
SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week (August 22-28, 2016)
2016 SoxProspects.com All-Star
2016 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Month (August/September 2016)
2017 SoxProspects.com Ex Prospect of the Year (MiLB)
 
 
     
 
 
 
     
 
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