Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | CHW | RHP | 5 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 70 | 45 | 55 | 45 | 45/40 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Jake Boes
Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 225 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2014 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Strong, muscular, athletic build; frame of an outside linebacker. Thick neck, sloped shoulders, and long arms. Solid midsection with a high waist; thick, muscular thighs and legs. Big feet. Gym rat type. Moves well on the mound; impressive athlete at physical projection currently. Injury history includes Tommy John Surgery September, 2018.
Delivery & Mechanics: Electric right arm fires from a high 3/4 slot with high effort. Cheats body closed slightly to start motion; pause during side step; glove starts below the belt before coming to the letters for hand break yielding deception. Glove stays down when pitching from the stretch. Little wasted movement with the arm path; claws back on the reach before coming straight up to release point. Commanding, intimidating presence on the mound.
Fastball: Double-plus fastball; 98-100 t101 post-TJ with tailing life; late arm side run. Heavy usage in the top part of the strike zone that yields both called and swinging strikes. Sinking action down in the zone. Command and velocity waver within starts; may not always be by design. Elite velocity that plays down a grade due to the inconsistencies with the offering. Grade: 70
Curveball: Flashes above-average but sits fringy; 78-81 with 11-5 break; movement overlaps the slider path on occasion. Used as a get-me-over pitch with inconsistent command. Hangers get punished; lacks the teeth necessary to make it a swing-and-miss offering. Grade: 45
Slider: 83-85 with inconsistent desired velocity. Tight, late break that gets slurvy on occasion. Generates swings burying beneath the zone. Pounds low and away to same-sided batters. Overall, an above-average offering with minimal projection left. Grade: 55
Changeup: 88-90 flashing fade; shows feel and average movement but plays down due to the similarities in movement with the fastball. Maintains arm speed well enough to still generate swings and misses, but not likely to be a weapon long-term. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Fringe control with below average command; inconsistencies with both that come and go even within starts; has made an effort in the past to back off of velocity in exchange for improved control with mixed results. Leans heavily on the fastball which limits his ceiling if adjustments are needed. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: In terms of pure power, Kopech possesses one of the strongest arms in the game. After opting out of the 2020 season, it remains to be seen if he can maintain the regular triple-digit velocities he was displaying during spring training through an entire season. I have pitch-mix concerns with Kopech--despite the impressive velocity and spin with his fastball, the movement profiles of the fastball/changeup and the slider/curveball are too similar; but because of his velocity, he could still succeed as a high-leverage relief option out of the bullpen in a worst-case scenario.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4 or #5 SP or High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
