Michael Kopech

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox acquired Kopech from the Red Sox in 2016 as part of the package for lefty Chris Sale. He made his major league debut for the White Sox in 2018 and flashed immense potential, but a torn elbow ligament led to Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. He opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kopech is the classic power pitcher armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and peaks at 102 mph. He backs up his heater with a wicked slider that projects as a plus pitch. Kopech started throwing a two-seam fastball as a way to improve his changeup in the minors and earned his first callup after the pitch improved to average. His next step is to improve his curveball so it doesn’t blend with his slider, which would give him a full four-pitch arsenal. Kopech’s electric arm speed and high-octane arsenal have made it difficult for him to consistently throw strikes at times, but he has the athleticism and delivery to project average control as he continues to harness his raw power.
  
  THE FUTURE: Kopech looked electric before spring training was shut down. The White Sox expect him to compete for a spot at the top of the rotation in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #3 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Kopech was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2014, then was dealt in the 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston. He impressed quickly over his first full season with his new organization, then made his big league debut on Aug. 21, 2018. His success in the majors gave the White Sox a peek at their bright future, but that optimism was scuttled when Kopech had Tommy John surgery. He spent all season recovering before returning in the fall instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Kopech showed the makings of a dynamic pitch mix. His fastball sat in the 95-98 mph range and touched 102. He added a two-seam fastball while with Triple-A Charlotte as well. The velocity was amplified by improved command achieved through a more repeatable delivery. His slider has earned plus grades since he was in high school and has been his best offspeed pitch throughout his pro career. The key for Kopech's development was the much-improved changeup he showed before his big league debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: After rehabbing all season long, Kopech is likely to be ready to go for spring training and should quickly assume a place in Chicago's rapidly improving rotation.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Acquired in the Chris Sale trade, Kopech made big strides to earn his first big league callup. After battling massive control problems early in the season, he rectified them by early July. Over his final seven starts, including four big league outings he struck out 42 and walked two in 34.1 innings. His only bad big league outing was his last one, and with good reason: he had a torn elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery.
  
  Scouting Report: Even after learning to use his whole arsenal to get hitters out, Kopech’s signature pitch is still his blazing fastball that touches as high as 102 mph. As the season went along, he throttled down to a still-blazing 95-98 and showed improved command. He started to do a better job of repeating his delivery and finding a consistent arm path. His slider has always been his best secondary pitch, flashing plus grades and working as a true finisher. Improved fastball command made Kopech’s slider more effective because hitters were less able to lay off of it. He added a fringy curveball in 2018. While it is a barely usable pitch, throwing it helped improve his still-inconsistent changeup into a pitch that flashes average. In the past, his changeup was often much too firm.
  
  The Future: Kopech had Tommy John surgery in September, meaning his 2019 season is wiped out. If everything goes according to plan, he should be back in the rotation some time in the middle of 2020. He has front-of-the-rotation potential.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 2018
  Kopech has long reigned as one of the hardest-throwing starters in the minors, and the White Sox acquired him as part of the trade for Chris Sale at the 2016 Winter Meetings. Kopech had a couple of extracurricular incidents mar his development--a 50-game suspension for amphetamines and a broken hand sustained in a fight with a teammate--but he's still become an elite prospect and finished a dominant 2017 at Triple-A Charlotte. Kopech's calling card is his top-of-the-scale fastball, which sits in the upper-90s and regularly touches 100 mph with armside run and downhill plane. It's an elite pitch, but he will overthrow it at times. The White Sox asked Kopech to add a two-seam fastball to induce more grounders and help teach him not to overthrow. Kopech boasts a slider that projects as a future plus pitch, as well as an average, low-90s changeup the White Sox encouraged him to throw more. Kopech still needs to iron out some inconsistencies in his delivery--particularly a tendency to fall off the rubber--in order to improve his below-average command and control. Kopech is likely to begin 2018 back at Triple-A, with a good shot of making his major league debut during the year. If he can tame his arsenal a bit more, he can be a top-of-the-rotation starter.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #5 prospect in 2017
  The Red Sox viewed Kopech as a power arm when they drafted him out of high school, but no one foresaw his emergence as the hardest-throwing starter in the minors in 2016. Though his innings have been limited by a pair of off-field incidents--a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant in 2015 and a broken right hand from a spring-training fight with a teammate in 2016--he has demonstrated an ability to overpower opponents. The Red Sox traded Kopech, second baseman Yoan Moncada and two other prospects to the White Sox in order to land Chris Sale at the 2016 Winter Meetings. Kopech's fastball sat 95-99 mph and frequently touched triple digits. His 90-92 mph power slider grades average now but projects as plus. Though his changeup is currently below average, Kopech should be able to improve it to near-average. His velocity creates questions of injury risk and limits his command, but he's learned to control his delivery to sustain both power and control. Despite his off-field incidents, most speak highly of Kopech's makeup and ferocious mound demeanor. He should start at Double-A in 2017 and has front-of-the-rotation potential, earning comparisons from scouts to Noah Syndergaard.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #5 prospect in 2016
  Kopech in high school set a goal of hitting 100 mph. In 2015, days after he turned 19, he achieved it. He often proved overpowering at low Class A Greenville, but evaluators remained unsure about whether he would harness his delivery and secondary pitches. Ironically, a mid-July, 50-game suspension for amphetamine use allowed Kopech to focus on those key areas of development during instructional league. Though he's a strike-thrower who isn't afraid to challenge hitters, Kopech has not yet developed command. If he does, he possesses what one evaluator described as "a mega-special fastball," with velocity and late, explosive life at the plate. His power breaking ball, flashing plus but inconsistent, sits in the 78-82 mph range, and some believe he'd be better off sharpening it into a true slider or even a cutter. Kopech almost never used his changeup in high school, but during his suspension he made strides with it. His size and strength suggest the potential to handle a starter's workload. While the suspension raised some makeup questions, most evaluators viewed it as a case of poor judgment or carelessness. If Kopech develops a three-pitch mix, he possesses a No. 2 starter ceiling. If not, he will fit as a late-innings arm. He appears destined for high Class A Salem in 2016.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #14 prospect in 2015
  Signed for $1.5 million as the 33rd overall pick in 2014, Kopech lights up the radar gun like few Red Sox draftees in recent years. He touched 99 mph as a high school senior, regularly touched 97 in his outings in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and sat in the mid-90s. He does so with a max-effort delivery that creates questions about his future control and ability to remain healthy, but he has a starting pitcher's frame and elite arm speed, with a chance for unusual power out of the rotation. In addition to his fastball, Kopech also features a slider that appears to have wipeout potential, and while he didn't incorporate a changeup as an amateur, he shows the potential to take something off the ball. If Kopech manages to control his power stuff and develop a three-pitch mix, then he has a chance to be a front-of-the-rotation starter down the road. At the least, the Red Sox can envision his fastball/slider combination playing late in games.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #37 prospect in 2014 draft
  In one of the most talent-barren years in Texas in recent memory, Kopech has shown arm strength that would stand out against any crop. He had an uneven summer on the showcase circuit that ended on a high note with one of the top showings at the Under Armour All-American Game, when he struck out out Monte Harrison, Michael Gettys and Alex Jackson in succession. A loose, flexible athlete with a quick arm, Kopech showed better velocity entering the spring, going from 89-92 mph at multiple events last summer to 92-96, touching 98 this spring. The ball jumps out of his hand and gets on hitters quickly. The Arizona commit's fastball also has plus life with cutting action and sink that will produce ground balls. Kopech has multiple breaking balls and his slider shows above-average potential. He has feel for a changeup with average potential. Kopech has a high-maintenance, rotation-heavy delivery that can be tough to repeat. He also has rigidity to the front side of his delivery. These factors cause some scouts to wonder if the delivery and strike-throwing ability will play in the rotation, though he has the stuff to do so, is an impressive athlete and has thrown strikes this spring. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Kopech has one of the best pitching bodies in the draft with wiry strength.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #2 prospect in 2018
  Kopech showed he was capable of using an array of pitches this year, a key development from when he was almost exclusively about his fastball. That resulted in a strong season and a big league callup at the end of August. Kopech’s fastball sat 96-97 mph with movement and touched 100, and he flashed an above-average slider and occasionally promising changeup, though consistency eluded him. He led the IL in strikeouts (170) but also walks (60). “He has a really good fastball, and when he’s able to spot that with his slider, he’s going to be hard to hit,” Durham manager Jared Sandberg said. Kopech is still working on using both sides of the plate, particularly with his secondary pitches. It all clicked for Kopech at the end, when he recorded 27 strikeouts with no walks in his final three IL starts. He succumbed to Tommy John surgery after four starts in Chicago, and now will wait until 2020 to pitch again.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #3 prospect in 2017
  Kopech threw more innings this season, 134, than he combined to throw in three years in the Red Sox system, where a 2015 stimulant suspension and 2016 broken hand stalled his progress. The additional mound time paid dividends for Kopech, who ranked first in the SL in opponent average (.184), second in strikeouts (155) and fourth in ERA (2.87).
• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #2 prospect in 2016
  Kopech, at 20 one of the younger prospects in the league, consistently flashed the best stuff among league hurlers, regularly touching 100 mph with his fastball. He saved one of his best performances for the big stage, throwing two perfect innings with three punchouts in the nationally-televised Fall Stars Game. He compliments his heater with a high-80s slider and a hard changeup in the low-90s. Kopech's solid AFL performance helped put a rocky regular season behind him when he missed more than two months after a spring training altercation with a teammates resulted in a broken hand. Kopech finished his Fall League season with a 3-0, 2.01 record while striking out 26 batters in 22.1 innings.
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #8 prospect in 2016
  Not many minor league starters can throw triple-digit fastballs and locate their offspeed pitches, but Kopech did both on a regular basis. He had four double-digit strikeout performances in August before falling to Myrtle Beach in his postseason start. This season proved to be a step forward for Kopech after he broke his hand in March in an altercation with a teammate in spring training. Kopech consistently sat 94-100 mph. Kopech's slider was his most reliable secondary pitch, and he throws a 90 mph changeup that can be effective.
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #10 prospect in 2015
  No one in the SAL threw harder in 2015 than Kopech. The righthander sat at 95-97 mph and touched triple digits regularly. His slider, changeup and control are much further away, but Kopech's fastball was good enough that he could effectively take two turns through the lineup even on nights he lacked a second usable pitch. Kopech has toned down the pronounced hip turn in his delivery he had in high school, and now he does a better job of repeating his mechanics, even though his long arms and legs create more checkpoints. He especially struggles to command his two-seam fastball. "There's some wildness and there's craziness in his delivery, but there's enough athleticism to figure it out," one scout said. Kopech's slider has flashed above-average potential, but only infrequently. At times, his slider was below-average and loopy enough that scouts thought it was a curveball. His well below-average changeup lacks deception and separation. Kopech's season came to an end in mid-July when he picked up a 50-game suspension after testing positive for the stimulant Oxilofrine. Kopech apologized to the team and fans but also said that he did not intentionally take the violating substance.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #24 prospect in 2021
• Ranked Baseball America's #33 prospect in 2020
• Ranked Baseball America's #21 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #11 prospect in 2018
• Ranked Baseball America's #32 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #89 prospect in 2016

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox acquired Kopech from the Red Sox in 2016 as part of the package for lefty Chris Sale. He made his major league debut for the White Sox in 2018 and flashed immense potential, but a torn elbow ligament led to Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. He opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kopech is the classic power pitcher armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and peaks at 102 mph. He backs up his heater with a wicked slider that projects as a plus pitch. Kopech started throwing a two-seam fastball as a way to improve his changeup in the minors and earned his first callup after the pitch improved to average. His next step is to improve his curveball so it doesn’t blend with his slider, which would give him a full four-pitch arsenal. Kopech’s electric arm speed and high-octane arsenal have made it difficult for him to consistently throw strikes at times, but he has the athleticism and delivery to project average control as he continues to harness his raw power.
  
  THE FUTURE: Kopech looked electric before spring training was shut down. The White Sox expect him to compete for a spot at the top of the rotation in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox acquired Kopech from the Red Sox in 2016 as part of the package for lefty Chris Sale. He made his major league debut for the White Sox in 2018 and flashed immense potential, but a torn elbow ligament led to Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. He opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kopech is the classic power pitcher armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and peaks at 102 mph. He backs up his heater with a wicked slider that projects as a plus pitch. Kopech started throwing a two-seam fastball as a way to improve his changeup in the minors and earned his first callup after the pitch improved to average. His next step is to improve his curveball so it doesn’t blend with his slider, which would give him a full four-pitch arsenal. Kopech’s electric arm speed and high-octane arsenal have made it difficult for him to consistently throw strikes at times, but he has the athleticism and delivery to project average control as he continues to harness his raw power.
  
  THE FUTURE: Kopech looked electric before spring training was shut down. The White Sox expect him to compete for a spot at the top of the rotation in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Kopech was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2014, then was dealt in the 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston. He impressed quickly over his first full season with his new organization, then made his big league debut on Aug. 21, 2018. His success in the majors gave the White Sox a peek at their bright future, but that optimism was scuttled when Kopech had Tommy John surgery. He spent all season recovering before returning in the fall instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Kopech showed the makings of a dynamic pitch mix. His fastball sat in the 95-98 mph range and touched 102. He added a two-seam fastball while with Triple-A Charlotte as well. The velocity was amplified by improved command achieved through a more repeatable delivery. His slider has earned plus grades since he was in high school and has been his best offspeed pitch throughout his pro career. The key for Kopech’s development was the much-improved changeup he showed before his big league debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: After rehabbing all season long, Kopech is likely to be ready to go for spring training and should quickly assume a place in Chicago’s rapidly improving rotation.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Kopech was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2014, then was dealt in the 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston. He impressed quickly over his first full season with his new organization, then made his big league debut on Aug. 21, 2018. His success in the majors gave the White Sox a peek at their bright future, but that optimism was scuttled when Kopech had Tommy John surgery. He spent all season recovering before returning in the fall instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Kopech showed the makings of a dynamic pitch mix. His fastball sat in the 95-98 mph range and touched 102. He added a two-seam fastball while with Triple-A Charlotte as well. The velocity was amplified by improved command achieved through a more repeatable delivery. His slider has earned plus grades since he was in high school and has been his best offspeed pitch throughout his pro career. The key for Kopech's development was the much-improved changeup he showed before his big league debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: After rehabbing all season long, Kopech is likely to be ready to go for spring training and should quickly assume a place in Chicago's rapidly improving rotation.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Kopech spent the first part of the summer racking up the most strikeouts in the International League. He still sports a 95-100 mph fasbtall and a dynamic slider but has also added a low-80s curveball to his mix as well. He’s working to refine all of his offspeed offerings, especially his well below-average changeup, but the most important thing is finding control of his offspeed pitches in order to lower his 5.5 BB/9 rate.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Kopech has long reigned as one of the hardest-throwing starters in the minors, and the White Sox acquired him as part of the trade for Chris Sale at the 2016 Winter Meetings. Kopech had a couple of incidents mar his development--a 50-game suspension for amphetamines and a broken hand sustained in a fight with a teammate--but he's still become an elite prospect. Scouting Report: Kopech's calling card is his top-of-the-scale fastball, which sits in the upper 90s and regularly touches 100 mph with armside run and downhill plane. It's an elite pitch, but he overthrows it at times. The White Sox asked Kopech to add a two-seam fastball to induce more grounders and help teach him not to overthrow. He boasts a slider that projects as a future plus pitch, as well as an average low-90s changeup the White Sox encouraged him to throw more. Kopech still needs to iron out his delivery in order to improve his below-average command and control. The Future: Kopech likely will begin 2018 at Triple-A Charlotte, where he finished 2017, with a good shot to make his big league debut during the year. If he can tame his arsenal, he can be a top-of-the-rotation starter.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Red Sox viewed Kopech as a power arm when they drafted him out of high school, but no one foresaw his emergence as perhaps the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in the minors in 2016. Though his innings have been limited by a pair of off-field incidents--a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant in 2015 and a broken right hand from a spring-training fight with a teammate in 2016--he's demonstrated an ability to overpower opponents. Scouting Report: "He's Noah Syndergaard Jr. The best arm I saw all year," said one evaluator. Kopech's fastball typically sat at 95-99 mph and frequently touched triple digits and his 90-92 mph power slider grades average now but projects as plus. Though his changeup is currently below average, Kopech should be able to improve it to near-average. His velocity creates questions of injury risk and limits his command, but he's learned to control his delivery to sustain both power and control. Despite his off-field incidents, most speak highly of Kopech's makeup and ferocious mound demeanor.
  
  The Future: Kopech, who should start at Double-A Portland in 2017, has front-of-the-rotation potential. A possibility also exists that he could fast-track to a big league bullpen role.
• August, 2016 Scouting Report
  Kopech, at 20 one of the younger prospects in the league, consistently flashed the best stuff among league hurlers, regularly touching 100 mph with his fastball. He saved one of his best performances for the big stage, throwing two perfect innings with three punchouts in the nationally-televised Fall Stars Game. He compliments his heater with a high-80s slider and a hard changeup in the low-90s. Kopech's solid AFL performance helped put a rocky regular season behind him when he missed more than two months after a spring training altercation with a teammates resulted in a broken hand. Kopech finished his Fall League season with a 3-0, 2.01 record while striking out 26 batters in 22.1 innings.