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Post by soxfanatic on May 19, 2015 10:03:29 GMT -5
Looks like Kopech has simplified his delivery a lot since he signed. For reference, this is what he looked like before he was drafted. To me the adjustments and solid results he's having so far puts him above Owens and Ball at the same age/level.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on May 19, 2015 10:06:17 GMT -5
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Post by wskeleton76 on May 19, 2015 10:23:20 GMT -5
Looks like Kopech has simplified his delivery a lot since he signed. For reference, this is what he looked like before he was drafted. To me the adjustments and solid results he's having so far puts him above Owens and Ball at the same age/level. Wow. A lot better. Really impressive.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jun 15, 2015 16:36:42 GMT -5
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Post by telson13 on Jun 15, 2015 17:32:00 GMT -5
My question is, how likely is it that he can develop his change into an average or better third pitch? It seems like the curve has potential to be solid-avg or better without too much projection. He's so young, it's reasonable to think his command of both FB and CB will improve to average or better. But without a change (I know he's supposedly got a slider, but CB-SL isn't much difference), I don't know if he's ever more than a #4 starter or a high-leverage reliever. Don't get me wrong, I love his first two pitches, but even a quality closer or a serviceable #3 would be a bit disappointing.
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Post by SALNotes on Jun 15, 2015 19:47:41 GMT -5
I thought i read he stopped throwing the curve, he wasn't throwing any when I saw him. A whole lot of fastballs, and 20% sliders and I counted 3 changeups in his 5 innings.
Your point is still valid though
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Post by James Dunne on Jun 19, 2015 14:57:45 GMT -5
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Post by brianthetaoist on Jun 19, 2015 15:42:32 GMT -5
They love him, obviously ... and his delivery does look pretty good. And man, does he throw hard. Never really noticed how severely the knee on his plant leg snaps back as he delivers the pitch. I mean, all pitchers' do to a varying extent, but once I noticed how pronounced it was on him, I couldn't look away ...
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Post by huskies15 on Jul 2, 2015 20:36:25 GMT -5
What kind of innings limit do they usually have for guys like Kopech? Had his longest outing of the year tonight and has been pretty darn good this year. Really excited about him.
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Post by brnichols19873 on Jul 2, 2015 21:15:59 GMT -5
What kind of innings limit do they usually have for guys like Kopech? Had his longest outing of the year tonight and has been pretty darn good this year. Really excited about him. Obviously hard to predict as each player/pitcher may be assessed on their own merits & progression but I would guess around 100 innings wpuld be his limit as this falls in line with both Henry Owens (101.2 ip A 2012) and Casey Kelly (95 ip A/A+ 2009) in their age 19 seasons...
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Post by brnichols19873 on Jul 2, 2015 21:59:56 GMT -5
Just found this insane tweet From the twitter feed of the Hickory Beat writer stating that Kopech was still up to 98 in his last inning!!! Mark Parker @crawdadsbeat
"Michael Kopech pitches 6 innings for 1st time in pro career. Still at 97-98 in final inning. Line: 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K 75 pitches, 51 Ks"
Also I just reached out to the beat writer on twitter who confirmed that Kopech was up to 101 in the first!!
@crawdadsbeat saw some fans tweet that he hit 101 in the first, is that true?! @jjab2233699 yes. 11 fastballs in 1st, all 99 & up. Delivery got out of whack in middle innings, but settled down in 5th & 6th @crawdadsbeat oh wow thanks for the info, how did his secondary stuff look? @jjab2233699 Meh. good on occasion, but loose at times. HKY hitters able to ignore it mostly and time fball.
In addition I reached out to a fan who first tweeted about the 101 and here was his response: @tommypro25 was that 101 according to the stadium gun or yours/scouts? @jjab2233699 stadium gun hit it 3 times sat 97-99 most of game
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burk
Rookie
Posts: 22
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Post by burk on Jul 2, 2015 22:40:26 GMT -5
I saw him pitch in Lexington, KY. in April. He was throwing about 94 in cold weather, had a real good motion. He looked very smooth. You good tell that he could throw harder, his motion seem very fluid and easy. It was like he was even trying and the ball would just explode out of his hand.
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Post by soxfan4life on Jul 3, 2015 14:26:46 GMT -5
I have seen that this guy is posting some big numbers.I am sure it is probably too early to promote him but was wondering what you guys think of when he may move up ti high A Salem?I would say if this keeps up probably by the end of the month if not sooner.
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Post by stevedillard on Jul 3, 2015 16:31:01 GMT -5
The comp I will associate him with is the guy I thought they would take instead, Sean Reid foley. Just looked him up, and he's blowing people away in low a ball, 79ks in 54 innings. Control seems to be a problem, with 40 walks, and just under a hit an inning. I'll be interested to see how that rivalry plays out, as they've both come out of the gate strong.
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Post by okin15 on Jul 6, 2015 14:56:23 GMT -5
I'm trying to think of a situation where the Sox have promoted a HS pitcher from A to A+ in his first full year. Only one I can come up with is Casey Kelly. I guess mostly it's that they haven't had that level of talent out of their HS pitchers, but also, there is probably no urgency to rush these guys. I wouldn't expect him to be up before late July, which I guess is just a few weeks from the end of the season. To me, it's close enough that potential playoff games might make a difference there too. He can always jump a level next year if he needs to.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jul 6, 2015 16:13:48 GMT -5
I'm trying to think of a situation where the Sox have promoted a HS pitcher from A to A+ in his first full year. Only one I can come up with is Casey Kelly. I guess mostly it's that they haven't had that level of talent out of their HS pitchers, but also, there is probably no urgency to rush these guys. I wouldn't expect him to be up before late July, which I guess is just a few weeks from the end of the season. To me, it's close enough that potential playoff games might make a difference there too. He can always jump a level next year if he needs to. Nice recall. The thing with Kelly, too, was that they were trying to convince him at the time that he should commit to pitching full-time. The plan was to have him pitch half the season, then play shortstop half the season, so they were operating with a weird timeline. I remember taking it as them sending the message that he could move a lot quicker if he pitched than if he played shortstop. It's gotta be striking when you go from starting in Salem to playing short in the complex league to regain your bearings. But yeah, he was also far more advanced than the typical HS pitcher - son of a minor league manager and all that. You could argue, though, that they were too aggressive with him, jumping him to Portland in his second full year in his age 20 season. I agree with your other points as well. Owens, Ball, and Kopech are really the only other HS arms they've taken high enough to be in the sample here, and Owens and Ball both faced struggles in their first full seasons. Wouldn't surprise me if he got a short call-up at the end of the year as a reward. Wouldn't surprise me if he didn't.
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Post by johnsilver52 on Jul 6, 2015 18:46:21 GMT -5
Guess everyone saw that BP has him listed in it's BP top 50 as a Honorable mention? Not seen it here, maybe I missed it? 11th) Moncada 14th) Devers 15th) Margot On BP's top 50 midseason prospect list Baseball prospectus top 50 midseason
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Post by brnichols19873 on Jul 13, 2015 13:43:05 GMT -5
Here's some info on Kopech's velocity from last night's start (July 12)...It comes from his Father via twitter so take it with a grain a salt but definitely in line what we have heard....
Michael P. Kopech @kopechdad >@michaelkopech5 throwing smoke again today. 5IP; 0R. Scouts at game confirm 100 mph twice; 99 4 times; 94-99 all game.
So excited about this kid, don't find many throwing that hard at 19!
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Post by Guidas on Jul 13, 2015 13:47:12 GMT -5
Here's some info on Kopech's velocity from last night's start (July 12)...It comes from his Father via twitter so take it with a grain a salt but definitely in line what we have heard.... Michael P. Kopech @kopechdad >@michaelkopech5 throwing smoke again today. 5IP; 0R. Scouts at game confirm 100 mph twice; 99 4 times; 94-99 all game. So excited about this kid, don't find many throwing that hard at 19! I've yet to see him live. How's the command and control of his pitches? Sometimes at that level you can get by on velo. very encouraging to read, however.
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cdj
Veteran
Posts: 14,195
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Post by cdj on Jul 13, 2015 14:31:57 GMT -5
Just from the typical box score checking it seems like the control has been a little sloppier lately than it was at the beginning of the year. I can't really speak to his command other than to say he isn't really getting hit hard at all, so it doesn't seem like he misses fat (although with his fastball against these lower level hitters it probably doesn't really matter if it misses fat)
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jul 13, 2015 14:39:10 GMT -5
It would be so cool if Ian and I were going to Greenville this weekend and got to see him pitch in person. </foreshadowing>
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Post by iakovos11 on Jul 13, 2015 14:40:18 GMT -5
It would be so cool if Ian and I were going to Greenville this weekend and got to see him pitch in person. </foreshadowing> I was waiting for this comment. So glad you guys are going to see greenville, but only the weekend?
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