In the seven starts prior to the announcement that Michael Kopech would be making his major league debut Tuesday night, the White Sox top-ranked pitching prospect pitched as well as he had since joining the organization ahead of the 2017 campaign. It’s what helped the White Sox make the decision that Kopech was ready for the major leagues.
But that hasn’t been the case all season.
Kopech went through some pronounced midseason struggles, with his ERA and walk numbers going up at a steady pace. It was a weird sight for onlookers who saw him dominate in 2017 and believed he was going to breeze through Triple-A and reach the South Side in no time.