Familiar face
Kopech eyeing 30-plus starts in new-look rotation
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Michael Kopech made a career-high 27 starts in 2023.
The White Sox right-hander would like to reach 30-plus this season.
“That was my goal last year,” Kopech said before a workout Thursday at Camelback Ranch, “and unfortunately fell short of that. Still a goal of mine this year.
“But I think we’re all kind of focused on the team goal right now on getting everything to click and come together and move in the right direction and prepare for a winning season.”
Kopech, 27, returned to camp lighter, losing 20 pounds — he was listed at 230 pounds at the start of last season. He’s also one of the more familiar faces on a pitching staff that will look much different than the one at the start of the 2023 season.
Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger — the team’s starters for the second, third and fourth games of the 2023 season — are gone. Lynn and Giolito were traded last season and respectively found homes with the St. Louis Cardinals and Red Sox this offseason, while Clevinger is a free agent.
“You get used to faces, you make friends, you make relationships,” Kopech said. “You have guys that you look at as leaders, and when they are not around different responsibilities and roles fall to different people in the clubhouse.
“The team has to get to know each other in a new way. I think for me and Dylan (Cease) personally this is a brand-new feeling. We are trying to take advantage of that and take responsibility as guys who have been on the staff.”
Kopech went 5-12 with a 5.43 ERA, 134 strikeouts and an American League-leading 91 walks in 30 games in 2023.
He was on the injured list from June 29-July 14 with right shoulder inflammation. Kopech made relief outings Sept. 9, 12 and 15 before his final start — one inning — on Sept. 20 against the Washington Nationals.
He went on the IL with right knee inflammation Sept. 22 and underwent a surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee.
Health was a main focus of his offseason.
“I’ve been banged up the past couple years,” Kopech said. “Had an opportunity to go and clean some stuff up. Feel good again and so I got myself in pretty good shape.
“(I) continued throwing and working on tightening some stuff up on the mound and kind of just fine-tuning everything. Coming in ready to go and not feeling like I’m behind the eight-ball. I feel like I’m able to move well, ball is coming out well.
“I’m getting into positions difficult to get into the past couple of years. My movement patterns are cleaned up. I’m excited to see how that translate to the mound.”
Manager Pedro Grifol is also seeing some of the benefits post-surgery.
“I think if you look at his body and you look at the shape he’s in, how strong he is and lean he is, you realize that it was affecting him a little bit,” Grifol said Thursday. “He’s in incredible shape.
“He’s strong, he’s mentally
strong, so I think it was a pretty big deal. It’s bigger than what we all thought.”
Grifol expanded on Kopech.
“You start an offseason and you jot down some things that you want to dominate, and for him it was his body,” Grifol said Friday. “He wanted to put himself in a really good position. He wanted to come into spring training strong, stronger than ever and healthy, and he did that.
“By doing that, it puts yourself in a mental state where you’re really, really confident. I spent probably 8-10 minutes with him today while he was playing catch, and he’s there. His mind is there.
“I’m not saying that this game is not going to throw curveballs at you and you’re going to have to face some adversity. But right now, putting it all together, a good offseason, looking the way he does, feeling the way he feels, it’s putting him in a good state of mind. He feels really confident and strong right now.”
Kopech hopes it helps in his quest to take the next step.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily the pressure of what people expect from me that’s something I’m trying to live up to,” Kopech said.
“It’s more so what I expect of myself. I know that I have capabilities that I haven’t shown at this level yet and there’s still that edge that I want to be able to provide that to the team and help the team compete to win a championship.
“So yeah, that’s something that’s very much a focus of mine.”