Michael Kopech
Michael Kopech was born in Mount Pleasant, Titus County, Texas, United States on April 30th, 1996 and is the Baseball Player. At the age of 27, Michael Kopech biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 27 years old, Michael Kopech has this physical status:
Michael Talbert Kopech (born April 30, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).
He bats and throws right handed.
Personal life
In 2019, Kopech revealed his love for Canadian actress Vanessa Morgan. Kopech and Morgan married in January 2020, but Kopech filed for divorce shortly after, just after June 2020. In January 2021, Morgan gave birth to their son. Kopech was put on paternity leave in May 2022 to attend the birth of his second child with his new mother Vivien.
Amateur career
In Mount Pleasant, Texas, Kopech attended Mount Pleasant High School. He formed a baseball rivalry and eventual friendship with Patrick Mahomes while high school. He accepted the University of Arizona. In 11 games for Mount Pleasant, Kopech posted a 3–0 win-loss record and a 0.44 earned run average (ERA), knocking out 129 batters and giving up only 18 walks in 64 innings pitched, earning 2014 Perfect Game First-American awards.
Professional career
In the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, Kopech was selected by the Boston Red Sox for his 33rd overall pick. He received a $1.6 million signing bonus from Boston. In their 2014 season, Kopech began his professional career with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Sox. In eight starts, he had a 0-1 record and a 4.61 ERA, with 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 13+13 innings pitched.
Kopech pitched for the Greenville Drive of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL), where he went 4–5 with a 2.63 ERA in 15 games. While being given a call to the SAL All-Star Game, he struck out 70 batters and walked 27, in 65 innings. After testing positive for Oxilofrine, a banned drug under the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, he was suspended without compensation for 50 games on July 16. During an altercation involving a roommate, Kopech broke his right hand in the 2016 spring training. He was promoted to the Salem Red Sox of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in the season-opener for the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League. Kopech's first five starts at Salem, yielding just three earned runs in 29 innings with at least seven strikeouts in every game. Kopech made 11 starts in total, going 4–1 with a 2.25 ERA over 52 innings. He struck out 82 batters in August, the most for a pitcher in MiLB. In four of his last six starts, he had a 2.08 ERA and gave just 29 walks, knocking out double-digit batters in four of his last six starts, including a career-high 11 twice. Kopech was named Player of the Month for August after his solid pitching efforts. The award was given to him as the league's Pitcher of the Week for August 22-28. He had a 0.93 ERA going into his last season of the season before losing to the Winston-Salem Dash on August 31 in a dramatic match. During his two stints (13.7 SO/9, 38% of batters faced), he produced 86 strikeouts in 56+13 innings, as well as a 4–1 record and a 2.08 ERA.
Kopech threw one of the fastest pitches in professional baseball history against the Wilmington Blue Rocks on July 13, 2016. Kopech entered the game at 98 mph and went over 100 mph and beyond on a regular basis until the Salem baseball park double checked a 105 mph pitch with different radar guns. Kopech threw a pitch that was unofficially clocked at 110 mph with a 3 oz ball during an offseason workout on January 17, 2017.
Victor Diaz and Kopech were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale on December 6, 2016. After going 4–3 with a 2.93 ERA over 58+13 innings and a league record 80 strikeouts in his first 11 starts for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, Kopech was named starter for the North Division in the Southern League All-Star Game in 2017. He was later added to the United States team of the 2017 All-Star Futures Game, knocking out White Sox teammate Yoan Moncada of the World Team. Since he had a 2.87 ERA over 119+13 innings in 22 starts with 155 strikeouts, the White Sox promoted Kopech to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on August 18, 2017. Kopech allowed two earned runs and accumulated 49 strikeouts in Birmingham over his last five starts.
On August 21, the White Sox promoted Kopech to the major leagues, marking his first appearance on the team. Due to rain, his outing lasted only two innings. He struck out four batters and didn't allow any runs to be allowed. He gave up his first hit, a single, to Joe Mauer on his second pitch of the season. He was rated as the 13th best prospect in all of MLB at the time of his debut. On September 18, Kopech underwent Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his life for the remainder of the 2018 season as well. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kopech announced on July 10, 2020, he will miss the 2020 season.
Kopech joined the White Sox' pitching staff in the 2021 season. On April 2, Kopech made his 2021 debut against the Los Angeles Angels, going out of the bullpen going 2 innings, striking out 3 out 3 and walking 1, giving the victory. In Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, he got his first start, only giving up 1 run and striking out 4 batters. On May 26, Kopech threw a pitch and then collapsed and collapsed off the mound and into the dugout, barely limping into the dugout. On May 31, he was put on the 10-Day IL with a strained left hamstring. On June 30, Kopech was activated off the IL. Overall, Kopech played in 44 games in 2021, including a record of 4–3 innings and striking out 103 batters. Kopech won his first game of the 2021 ALDS against the Houston Astros in game 3 of the 2021 ALDS, his first appearance in the 2nd inning for relief of White Sox starter Dylan Cease. Kopech went 2.1 innings, giving up 4 runs, 3 runs (including a home run), 1 walk, and 5 bats, leading the White Sox to a 12–6 victory.
In 2022, Kopech made his way into the starting role. Kopech was on and off the injured list throughout the season. Kopech was sore in his left knee before the first pitch in a game against the Kansas City Royals but continued to pitch anyway. After facing four batters in the first inning and being confined to the IL with a left knee injury, he left the game and was pushed to the IL. Kopech got off to a few more starts before being admitted to the IL on September 17 with right shoulder inflammation and was officially closed for the season.
Overall, Kopech batted out 25 runs in 119.1 innings with 105 strikeouts and 57 walks in 2022. He led the major leagues in the highest walk percentage, at 11.5%.