Liam Hendriks claims that Michael Kopech is the most talented

Liam Hendriks is one of the most vibrant personalities on the Chicago White Sox. He has an opinion on a lot of things and isn’t afraid to share it when asked. He is also an incredibly nice man and an incredibly insightful man. It is also very clear that he enjoys playing baseball and being around his teammates.

One thing that is apparent is he also loves helping his teammates out when they need it. He went on the Crosstown Crosstalk podcast earlier this week and explained that in detail a little bit. One interesting note from the conversation was when Michael Kopech was brought up.

It started as a conversation about “The Ponytail Gang”. They discussed the Craig Kimbrel trade at length but then Kopech came up and Liam’s response was outstanding. He called Michael Kopech one of the most talented people that he has ever been around.

Of course, most White Sox fans knew this just from watching him develop over the years but it is so nice to hear it from someone like Liam who knows what it takes to be elite on a consistent basis. The White Sox are so lucky to have both of them.

Liam Hendriks is certain that Michael Kopech is going to be successful.

Hendriks spent a lot of time with Kopech in 2021 as bullpen pitchers. However, 2022 should be the year where Kopech makes his return back to the rotation. That is something that should be great for all parties involved.

Kopech works off of his incredibly hard fastball. It isn’t like any other 100 miles per hour fastball though. For a ball thrown that hard, it has an outstanding amount of movement which is very nice to see. When you combine that with devastating breaking pitches, he is near impossible to hit.

His talent is a big reason why he threw 103 strikeouts over 69.1 innings pitched. He had a small issue with tipping pitches at the midway point of his season but it sure was figured out quickly. He has the ability to be one of the best pitchers in the league.

In the interview, Hendriks also made a claim that Kopech isn’t aware of how good he is. That is good and bad but there is potential for him to figure it out and use it to his advantage. Expect both pitchers to have outstanding 2022 seasons because they are so great. We have a lot to be excited about on the south side with these guys.