Sox pitcher Kopech sides with Anderson on 'having fun'
Even though he's out for the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Michael Kopech is going to be in the "new school" camp when he returns to the mound next season.
A divide in and out of baseball quickly formed after Tim Anderson hit a 2-run homer off Kansas City starter Brad Keller during an April 17 game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Anderson launched his bat and yelled at the Sox's dugout before circling the bases-- and he was drilled by Keller's first pitch his next time up.
The benches cleared and both players were suspended. "Keep moving forward," Anderson said. "We are going to keep having fun and keep playing with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence."
Kopech wants to be a part of it, even though he's a starting pitcher.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't throw at somebody because they (ticked) me off before," Kopech said. "So I see both sides of it. But I'm not saying I'm right for throwing at anybody, either. What Tim is doing is having fun. I don't think there's anything wrong with him having fun. It's at a point where the game either has to change or it's not going to.
"I think Tim is making a push for the game to change, which is fine by me. Have all the fun you want. If I strike somebody out and I pound my chest or whatever, I don't want anybody getting (ticked) off at me. If I give one up next year and it's over that scoreboard, I don't really care. Flip your bat. Do it. I might get mad at the time, but I'll get over it."
Kopech and promising pitching prospect Dane Dunning have been with the White Sox all week as they recover from elbow surgery.
Kopech had his Tommy John procedure last September. Dunning had his in March.
"I was told today percentage-wise, I'm a little less than halfway, so about 42 percent is what I was told," Kopech said. "But I feel good. I feel in the best shape I've been in a couple of years. Throwing wise, it's coming out easy. I'm learning to have more feel."
New challenge:
After tearing up the Carolina League in April while playing for high Class A Winston-Salem, top outfield prospect Luis Robert is off to a quiet start (0-for-12) with AA Birmingham.
"Now that I'm in Birmingham, I can tell you the leagues are different," Robert said through a translator on a conference call Friday. "Here in Birmingham, the pitchers work differently, they think a little bit more. I have to make adjustments and keep learning. I'm here just to learn and get ready."