Analysis of Michael Kopech’s Debut
Michael Kopech. Whoa. The buzz surrounding his major league debut was by far the biggest I’ve experienced since moving to Chicago in 2015. It feels bigger than anything the Cubs accomplished in 2017.
For the diehard fan, Kopech’s arrival has been building anticipation since he was traded for Chris Sale. Kopech entered the consciousness of the causal fan when a video of him clocking a 110 MPH pitch went viral.
But what really enhanced Kopech’s profile was his dating life. Dating something called a Brielle Bierman and now the talented and gorgeous Vanessa Morgan, has brought him into a new level of fame. If my wife is intently watching to see “if this Kopech guy is any good,” you know he’s on a different level.
My goal for this article was to answer that question as best as possible. What did he do over the course of 100 pitches? Was he displaying the wild nature that plagues him on occasion? Did he cruise through a Twins lineup that is ranked in the bottom half of the league? How did he handle professional hitters like Joe Mauer or Miguel Sano? These are questions we wanted answered.
Unfortunately, the rain came running down before we saw the full potential Tuesday. However, I took some notes batter-by-batter. Here’s what I observed:
The adrenaline during a player’s first major league pitch has to be insane. I imagine it’s like eating onions at lunch then chewing all your gum before a big meeting. To Kopech’s credit, the first pitch was a perfect strike to Mauer. However on the next pitch, Mauer welcomed him to the bigs by drilling one up the middle. Flat fastballs don’t make a difference here. Pitching isn’t throwing, and that’s something Kopech will learn.
Just four pitches in and you can see his stuff is electric. The movement can be an Achilles heel, but if harnessed, will separate him from the crowd. However, he was living in the upper half of the zone. Eddie Rosario punched a fastball to the outfield.
Hitters like Rosario and Mauer are who Kopech will see every day. You can tell his game plan was to live in the strike zone and let his team make plays. Admirable for a young pitcher since a walkfest isn’t what anyone wants to see. Want proof? Ask Cubs fans about Tyler Chatwood in 2018.
Here is where Michael Kopech showcased his talents: Runners on the corners and he was still challenging hitters. A solid sequence, focused on him still living around the zone, was capped off with a pop-up to shallow left field.
With one out, the highlight was an electric slider that had Sano trying to check his swing. Kopech earned his first strikeout when C.B. Bucknor called out Sano. Weirdly enough, Bucknor appealed down to first anyway. Force of habit, I guess.
My favorite part of the first inning was how it ended. With the count 3-2, crowd on its feet and first-inning pressure, Kopech grits his teeth and gets the final out. A struggle, but no runs given up after having runners of first and third with your 3-4-5 hitters up. First test: passed.
In the second inning, you could see Kopech was settling down. It seemed he wasn’t worried about control. It was there and that gave him the confidence to throw more of his secondary pitches. You saw two quick strikeouts of Jake Cave and Logan Forsythe.
The best two pitches he through were to the third batter of the inning, Robbie Grossman. There was a sexy breaking ball to start the at-bat, followed by an even better changeup. Kopech came a bit too inside and grazed Grossman, so that at-bat didn’t end the way it could have for Kopech.
Wilson came up and hit a blooper out to left field. Again, showing his maturity—a question many have had for Kopech—he was able to shut down the rally. His day ended with a fatty down the middle. Then the rains came, which abruptly ended our fun.
End Analysis
Although Kopech threw 50+ pitches in just two innings, it didn’t look like he was laboring. He looked like a guy who was thrilled to be in the moment and just wanted to start with a good impression. Kopech was careful around the dish. As he builds confidence and finds his place on the team over this next month, we’re poised to see great things.
So, for all the people mesmerized by Kopech’s talent or his Paul Walker-esque looks, stay onboard. The surprise of Kopech coming up is another thing to enjoy at the end of a grueling season. For the White Sox, whether it’s novelty or genuine interest, they can be proud that they are still engaging their fans at the end of a miserable season. They were even able to keep the headlines away from the Cubs after the Daniel Murphy trade.
To Michael Kopech, let’s hope this abbreviated start isn’t a metaphor for your career. Watching the next great pitcher in Chicago and bringing the White Sox back into contention is something every baseball fan in Chicago would love to see.
