BREAKING: His Notable improvements Since Joining the Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a struggling reliever from the MLB’s worst team and turned him into a valuable high-leverage asset, with the potential to become a closer before the season concludes

Michael Kopech was traded from the Chicago White Sox at the deadline, and with just a few minor adjustments, he has quickly become a dominant force. He now adds to the list of pitchers such as Ryan Brasier, Alex Wood, Evan Phillips, Tyler Anderson, Phil Bickford, and others who have revitalized their careers with the Dodgers.

Since joining the team, Kopech has thrown nine scoreless innings and earned two saves.

It’s difficult to fully assess Michael Kopech’s underwhelming first-half performance with the Chicago White Sox, given the team’s overall struggles. The change in environment could have revitalized Kopech, and the Dodgers were particularly interested in his potential as one of the game’s hardest throwers.

Michael Kopech's stats since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline:

9.1 IP
1 H
0 ER
1 BB
13 K

He has 4 holds and is 2-for-2 in save opportunities, both coming in one-run games.

The Dodgers' new closer is unhittable and unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/ya0gcsabXw

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) August 18, 2024

Kopech relies heavily on his fastball, which averages 98.8 mph, and he also uses a slider and a cutter. The cutter, introduced this season, acts as a link between his fastball and slider in terms of movement and velocity. Last season, there was an 11-mph gap between his fastball and slider, which prompted the addition of the cutter.

The cutter’s success led Kopech to completely abandon his changeup.

Statistics from his time in Chicago showed that right-handed hitters had significant success against his four-seamer, which he threw 75 percent of the time, while struggling against his slider and cutter.

One key adjustment was reducing his fastball usage.

With the Dodgers, Kopech now throws his fastball 63 percent of the time and focuses on placing his cutter down and away, rather than just aiming for strikes. The impact of this adjustment is evident in the improved performance metrics.