Is It Time To Move Michael Kopech Back To The Pen?

This has been a lost season for the White Sox as they are one of the worst teams in the league. Most pitching has been bad and so has the hitting. To be frank, this season could not have started worse for the Sox. The same could be said for Michael Kopech, as he has struggled tremendously to this point.

Kopech Was Elite Early On

Since acquiring Kopech back in 2016 along with Yoan Moncada for Chris Sale, expectations have been high for him, as he was a top-rated prospect. He looked great when he came up in 2018, but unfortunately, he went under the knife after a couple of starts due to Tommy John surgery.

Since then he missed the entire 2019 season due to the injury and he opted out of the Covid shortened 2020 year. But, when he came back in 2021 he was a fantastic weapon out of the bullpen.

In 2021, he was a very good reliever, as he had a 3.5 ERA in just about 70 innings. In those innings, he struck out 103 batters to the tune of an incredible 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings. This was a great season that saw him get stretched out to be a starter in 2022.

2022 was also a good season for Kopech, as he had a 3.54 ERA in 25 games started for the Sox. His strikeouts per nine were down a bit, but he was able to lower the WHIP and give up fewer hits. The only concerning trait was the walk numbers, but he was able to escape a lot of the jams, so it was not much of a concern.

Kopech even had a dominant stretch in the middle of the 2022 season where he was completely unhittable. He was then trotted out by Tony LaRussa with a clear knee injury that derailed the rest of his season. Before that, he had the makings of a top-of-the-line starter.

He Has Regressed Tremendously

Expectations were high for Kopech coming into this season, but he has yet to live up to them. He currently has a 5.74 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. If those were not concerning enough, his walks per nine innings have ballooned to about six. He has not looked great this year so far.

To go with the walk numbers, his advanced metrics have been extremely concerning. Per Baseball Savant, hitters are barreling balls up on him at an elite rate, which is never something you want to see. His strikeouts are down even more from last year, and he is just overall getting hit hard.

To make matters worse, if his 5.74 ERA was not high enough, he has one of the highest expected ERAs, sitting at 7.61, per Baseball Savant. Compared to his 2021 season where he was used mainly as a reliever, most of those categories were among the best in baseball.

A move to the bullpen could really be beneficial. You want your players in the spot where they have the best chance to succeed. Last year he did well as a starter, but most of his numbers were down. Now, they are even worse, but the odd part is his velocity is back up. It seems like he has a tough time controlling his pitches over a start if he is throwing his hardest.

It is still early and he can turn this season around, but the metrics don't look great. The main problem is the White Sox lack the depth in the minors to be able to replace him in the rotation. That buys him the rest of the season to show he belongs in the pros.

If he continues to struggle, we could see him back in the bullpen or even traded on a hopefully new-look White Sox in 2024.