White Sox Kopech, Jimenez Close Season With Honors

Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez capped their 2017 campaigns by earning White Sox Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month honors. Kopech is still only 21 years old and has surged through the White Sox minor-league system since being snared in the Chris Sale trade with the Red Sox. Kopech earned a host of awards this season after posting a 9-8 record over 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. The flame-throwing right-hander ended the season with a 2.88 earned run average while fanning 172 batters over 134 1/3 innings pitched. In his final five starts, Kopech held opponents to a .210 batting average and punched out 38 batters over 29 innings. During one early stretch in August, the precocious hurler fired nine consecutive scoreless innings while fanning 21 from Aug. 5-12. After earning a late-season promotion to Triple-A, Kopech held his own over three starts maintaining a 3.00 ERA while continuing to mow down experienced hitters. Kopech was named to the Futures Game, Southern League Pitcher of the Year and Southern League midseason and postseason All-Star teams.

The White Sox own an embarrassment of prospect riches and Eloy Jimenez took the organization by storm after exchanging a Cubs uniform for the South Siders’ black and white. A key piece of the Jose Quintana trade, Jimenez took White Sox fans by storm after torching Carolina League pitching.

Jimenez walloped a soaring home run just before he was traded that struck a light tower and almost broke the internet. But Jimenez is not a one-trick pony. After joining Winston-Salem Jimenez went on a tear batting .345 with eight home runs and 26 runs batted in and a 1.092 OPS. The 20-year-old nearly matched his totals with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 13 games less after joining the Dash. The slugger kept rolling after a promotion to Double-A where he batted .353 with three more long balls and closed the season with a blistering ten-game tear batting .359. Jimenez finished the season with a .312 batting aver, 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in. He won consecutive Player of the Month honors with the White Sox having been awarded the honor in July and was named Carolina League Player of the Week for Aug. 7-13