White Sox: Michael Kopech Ranked Third Top Pitching Prospect
White Sox minor league pitcher named third best pitching prospect by MLBPipeline.com. When can fans expect to see him in the majors?
Chicago White Sox top pitching prospect Michael Kopech was recently ranked as the third top pitching prospect in all of baseball on Tuesday morning. MLBPipeline.com is currently ranking prospects by positions before revealing their top 100 list for the upcoming season.
Kopech was ranked behind top pitching prospect Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels organization and second ranked pitching prospect Brent Honeywell of the Tampa Bay Rays. The 21-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Boston Red Sox last offseason as part of a trade for Chris Sale.
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In his first season in the White Sox organization, Kopech had a combined 9-8 record and 2.88 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A. Kopech made 22 starts with the Birmingham Barons last season and compiled an 8-7 record with a 2.87 ERA and 155 strikeouts. With Triple-A Charlotte, he made three starts and recorded 17 strikeouts.
Kopech will enter the 2018 season with a lot of hype surrounding him. With the Sox rebuild entering its second season, Kopech should get a lot of attention from fans while he’s in the minors. Kopech could join the Sox later this season, but as the team has shown in the past, they won’t rush promoting any player to the majors.
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The 2014 first round draft pick of the Red Sox should have time to continue developing in Spring Training and with Charlotte. Although Kopech had a solid season in 2017, his 134.1 innings pitched were the most for him in his professional career. In order to become a top of the rotation starting pitcher, Kopech will need more development. Until then, stay patient Sox fans.