Chicago White Sox: Potential of Michael Kopech’s fastball

The Chicago White Sox are hoping that Michael Kopech can bloom into a superstar. His fastball might be the key to that happening.

The Chicago White Sox are patiently waiting to get back to baseball. There are a couple of big storylines that will surround this team when it comes back and one of them will be the season debut of Michael Kopech. He already made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2018 but Tommy John shut him down and canceled his 2019 season as well. When baseball does return, Kopech’s play will surely be noted.

Kopech is going to want to be his normal dominant self once he reaches the big leagues but it might take some time. The most important thing for him is keeping himself in control. When he made his Spring Training debut, he threw four straight 100 mph pitches to open his afternoon. His fastball is his key to success because of how well he throws it. It is also a bit stressful on his arm, you would think. Throwing the ball that hard is great but he might be forced to dial it down at times.

What makes Kopech’s fastball extra special besides the velocity he has on it is the movement he gets on it too. He can get a pitch moving 100 mph to move which makes it very difficult to hit. He is one of only a few people in the world that can do that. It also makes hitters guess even more about what it is that is going to come out of his hand. Once he starts getting his offspeed pitches really under command he will be a dominant pitcher for the White Sox.

There are plenty of arms that are more seasoned to the Major Leagues in the White Sox rotation so that gives Kopech time to be a bit deeper in the rotation. If baseball would have started on time he may have gotten a start or two with the Charlotte Knights. With the situation the way that it is right now, it is unclear where he will be when baseball is back. One thing that is for sure is that his fastball is the key to his success when he becomes a full-time starter.