Sox pitcher’s big makeover
Michael Kopech ditched social media, got hitched, cut his hair and is living in the moment.
Sometimes you feel like it’s time for a reboot, and sometimes the reboot is forced upon you. Whatever the reason, the goal is getting a fresh start, a chance to rewrite the script with a happier ending. No matter what your lot in life, change can be the fuel to a new beginning. After missing the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, White Sox pitched Michael Kopech did what he needed to do. He got married to his girlfriend, actress Vanessa Morgan. He dropped off social media, bidding adieu to his Instagram followers with a philosophical farewell post. And he cut off his shoulder-length hair, adopting a buzz cut for his 2020 rebirth. Kopech 2.0 made his debut this weekend at SoxFest, and in a couple of weeks he’ll make his long-awaited return to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., to begin his comeback. The success or failure of that comeback could determine whether the rebuilding Sox can pull off an October surprise. Living in the moment is the biggest change Kopech has been seeking after spending a good part of his adult life look
ing for something off in the distance. It led to the feelings of anxiety and depression that weren’t obvious to outsiders and affected the way he thought about himself and others.
It’s hard for some to understand what a highly touted baseball player with Kopech’s talent, good looks and personality could possibly be anxious or depressed about. His dream of making it to the majors had come true, he’d found the love of his life and his future looks exceedingly bright. Kopech said it’s not a problem that just suddenly appeared.
“I’ve dealt with anxiety before, kind of my whole life,” he said. “It was just the idea of just seeking for more. The revelation I can’t seek for more for the rest of my life was the blessing of being called up to the big leagues. I got there and I got to live it, but what’s more at that point? I stopped looking for more, and it allowed me to not look too far ahead, not dwell on what I’d done wrong, just be myself and live through the moment.
“I look forward to embracing that opportunity when the season comes and just being myself on the mound.”
Kopech’s new year started with his Jan. 4 marriage to Morgan, an actress on the TV show “Riverdale,” whom he met on social media. According to E! News, she saw Kopech on her Instagram page, then began to follow him on Twitter.
Kopech followed Morgan back and eventually sent a DM. They soon met in person and began dating, ultimately leading to marriage.
“If it wasn’t for social media, we would have never known each other,” Morgan told E! News. “Thank you IG and Twitter for my husband.”
Ironically, Kopech already had decided to get off Instagram and Twitter last October, writing a farewell post that mentioned his bouts of anxiety and depression. He wrote that quitting social media was “laying
down my weapons and embracing all my fears,” then thanked his fans for following him and told them to look inward.
“If you are also looking for peace in the world, seek inward and be that peace,” he wrote. “It’s beautiful in there. ‘Into the wilderness I go, to lose my mind & find my soul.’ Now… fire away.”
Kopech told me Friday the decision had everything to do with his own feelings about social media’s image-making issues and nothing to do with the online trolls who target celebrities on Twitter.
“I wasn’t necessarily bothered by anybody or anything they had to say,” he said. “I’ve never really been affected too much by that. It’s just the lives that are portrayed on social media aren’t necessarily genuine and authentic.
“It’s all an idea of what we want people to view us as. I think I put too much value on that, and I don’t necessarily care, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, how people view me.
“How I view myself is ultimately what’s going to make me the person I want to be. I think social media kind of took away from that, so the thing about deleting it, I was able to then focus on myself without the idea of how others view me.”
Whether the change has helped Kopech find inner peace might be difficult to determine considering he also has taken the life-altering step of getting married.
“I’ve had a few changes, I guess,” he said, laughing. “But, yeah, absolutely, I have noticed. I’ve been much more aware of my surroundings. I’ve been able to interact with people genuinely and not based on what I know about them or how I view them or how they view me. I think that’s how interactions are meant to be.
“And on top of that, I think it’s going to make me a better baseball player because it’s going to take those pressures off me that I put on myself.”The final part of the reboot occurred last week when Kopech had his first haircut in more than two years, getting almost 12-inches lopped off, raising $20,000 for Ronald McDonald
House Charities and White Sox Charities.
He looked like a whole new person, going from Woodstock wanderer to Wall Street banker in no time. Kopech insisted he wouldn’t miss his signature look.
“I got rid of it for a better reason,” he said.
The new season is almost here, but Kopech doesn’t know if he’ll be with the Sox on opening day. He made only four major-league starts after his much-hyped debut in 2018 before the shocking announcement of the season-ending elbow injury. Chances are the Sox will go the conservative route with their top pitching prospect, limiting his spring innings and starting him at Triple-A Charlotte. Maybe not, but Kopech said he’s ready for that possibility and knows it’s out of his control.
“I’m going there this spring, I’m going to compete and I’m going to give myself a chance,” he said. “And if it’s not in the stars, I’ll figure it out along the way.”
Figuring it out along the way is usually the best path.