White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper traveled to Goodyear for the split-squad game against the Reds on Tuesday, but he watched video of Michael Kopech’s Cactus League debut in the other game at home.
Kopech gave up four earned runs in one inning, including a three-run homer to Mitch Hanigan, but Cooper was upbeat about what he saw, saying he would take Kopech’s future any day.
“You could send your evaluators from 30 clubs, and I guarantee you 30 out of 30 would say, ‘I’d love to have him,’” Cooper said.
Each of the Sox’s top three pitching prospects encountered bumps in their spring debuts.