Between flowing blonde hair and an arm full of otherworldly potential, new White Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech has a lot going for him.
He’s also a man with the power to do this:
2k17.
600 lbs from the floor coming soon. We ain't done yet. pic.twitter.com/ZPhzYXkLP4
— Kopech (@MichaelKopech5) January 2, 2017
Pitchers and catchers are more than a month away from reporting to Spring Training, but that isn’t stopping Kopech from getting his work in. After all, you have to be really inspired to work out like this in the offseason. But it also leaves a high bar to clear once Spring Training workouts with your teammates roll around in February. I mean, how can you even top this?
I suppose one way of doing so is applying that kind of heavy lifting from the weight room to the pitching rubber. Oh wait, he’s already maxed out there, too.
Kopech used a fastball in the triple digits – once clocked at 105 by two different radar guns in his debut – to vaporize Class A-Advanced lineups at Salem while pitching in the Boston Red Sox organization.
Let’s take a look at some of his handiwork as he strikes out the side, shall we?
Mixing a breaking pitch at 87 mph when guys are geared for heat at 100 is unfair to anyone, especially hitters toiling away in the Carolina League.
With that two-pitch mix and his athleticism, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Mr. Kopech here again doing fun things on the mound in the future – maybe even the very near-future.