Chicago White Sox: 2022 player grade for Michael Kopech

The 2022 Chicago White Sox were a massive disappointment as you see pretty much everywhere at this point. One player that had similar ups and downs was Michael Kopech who made his return to his role of being a starting pitcher this year.

Of course, by now you know that he had Tommy John to end the 2018 season which ended that campaign for him and the entire 2019 season as well. When 2020 rolled around, he opted out of the 60 game COVID-19 season as well so it ended up being a long time for him without playing.

When the 2021 season finally came around, things got better. He was eased back into the league as a reliever and he was magnificent. He showed why he had so much hype. He found a way to have 100 strikeouts as a reliever which tells you how good his stuff was.

In 2022, they finally moved him back to his role as a starter which was a really big milestone for him in this league. As expected and as mentioned before, there were ups and downs.

Kopech had games where he looked like the best pitcher in the organization. He had other games that he struggled in as well but those were fewer and farther between.

He also had a little bit of health trouble but this was more in the lower body than with his arm which is a positive. He ended up missing the final few starts of the season as the White Sox are smartly getting him ready for another run in 2023.

Final Grade: B

Michael Kopech gets a B grade because he had a good year. He looked like he was easing into his role as a starter and that a big step was taken for him. There is still a long way to go but there is no doubt that the future is bright for this young man.

He made 25 starts which isn't bad at all and through those 25 starts he had an ERA of 3.54, a WHIP of 1.190, and 105 strikeouts. His velocity was a bit down and so were his strikeouts but he overall had a good year. He ended with a 2.2 WAR which tells you that he was valuable.

Kopech's role over the next few years is up in the air. His name will always be in trade rumors unless he becomes super elite but that is mostly noise.

He will certainly be a starter to start 2023 but he could end up being a super-weapon reliever again at some but as well. If he can be healthy for most of the season next year, big things could be in store for him.