Heat rising for Chicago White Sox prospect Kopech
He comes from Daingerfield, and everybody in the tiny East Texas town knows hard-throwing pitching prospect Michael Kopech.
"I can walk through a Wal-Mart and say hi to everybody in Wal-Mart and that's that," Kopech said.
After landing early Thursday and easing into SoxFest weekend, Kopech started walking through Chicago, his new home as a professional baseball player.
Given his rocket arm and bright future, the 20-year-old starting pitcher could soon be a familiar face on the South Side and throughout the city.
One of four minor-leaguers acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a December trade for ace starter Chris Sale, Kopech already has made a name for himself by hitting 105 mph on the radar gun while pitching for high Class A Salem last season and registering 110 mph in a throwing drill earlier this month.
"It's kind of surreal to have this much attention on me, because a small town out of Texas is where I grew up," Kopech said. "All of this has been surreal, but I'm extremely excited about it."
The White Sox are excited about having the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder in their system.
"That dude slings it, huh?" said Zack Burdi, another Sox pitching prospect who regularly throws 100-mph fastballs. "I watched some video of him; it's really impressive. The guy, the way the ball jumps out his hand, everything is electric. The changeup's even electric. It's really cool, and I'm excited to see him live at some point this year."
Burdi, a Downers Grove native drafted No. 26 overall by the White Sox last June, is expected to be in the major leagues at some point this season.
As for Kopech, he still needs polish in the minors and might not be seen in Chicago until the 2018 season.
"I throw hard and it's fun, but my main focus is pitching," said Kopech, rated as baseball's 30th best prospect by MLB.com. "I'm excited to get out there and throw strikes more than anything."
In 2016, Kopech got into a fight with a teammate during spring training. He fractured his pitching (right) hand and missed the first two months of the season.
Kopech pitched a combined 56⅓ innings with Salem and low A Lowell and had 86 strikeouts. He also walked 33.
"There's not too many negatives to having a great arm," Kopech said. "Not to pat myself on the back, but I have a pretty good arm. One of those things is learning how to throw strikes, so that's my main focus right now. I have the velocity behind that, so that's good."
At the end of last season, Kopech was very good in the Arizona Fall League, going 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in 6 starts. He had 26 strikeouts and 8 walks in 22⅓ innings for the Surprise Saguaros.
Kopech is likely to spend the bulk of the upcoming season with Class AA Birmingham, but he figures prominently in the White Sox's future. He received an invite to the Sox's major-league, spring-training camp, which opens Feb. 14.
"They've been talking about the rebuilding stage, or whatever you want to call it, and I'm glad to be a part of that," Kopech said. "I think it's a good opportunity for me and I think it's great for the team. I'm very excited about it."