Kopech may be the most anticipated White Sox call-up since Frank Thomas' arrival 28 years agogetty images
White Sox P Michael Kopech is scheduled to make his MLB debut tonight against the Twins after being called up from the Triple-A Int'l League Charlotte Knights, and the move marked the "first time the Sox made the announcement on their Twitter account, @whitesox," according to Paul Sullivan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The team tweeted out, "IT'S HAPPENING @MichaelKopech5 is coming to Chicago! Tuesday night vs. Minnesota #NextSox becomes #WhiteSox. Get your (ticket emoji) now." The tweet "included a link to buy tickets on mlb.com, and a video of Kopech." White Sox Senior VP & GM Rick Hahn said the team's communications department "wanted to make sure the word got out and certainly got creative with making sure people were aware and building up some excitement for what we think will be a great night at the ballpark." The game "will be televised" on WGN-TV. White Sox Senior VP/Communications Scott Reifert said that the Kopech rollout "had been planned for a while," with Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Brooks Boyer and Dir of Digital Communications Brad Boron "involved in the planning." Reifert said the White Sox have a "really creative team in our digital world," so why not "have some fun and generate some excitement for our fan base?" Reifert: "It seems to be working." The "coordination between the front office and the marketing department was not out of the ordinary, and bypassing traditional media outlets" to have exclusivity on the announcement "isn't all that unusual in this day and age" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/21).
SOX EXCITEMENT: In Chicago, Sullivan wrote Kopech "may be the most highly anticipated call-up" for the White Sox since Baseball HOFer Frank Thomas "arrived 28 years ago." White Sox fans have been "hearing about Kopech since he arrived" in the trade with the Red Sox for P Chris Sale after the '16 season. Kopech's "outgoing personality and celebrity status are just what this team needs to get some much-needed publicity" in a season in which the White Sox have "disappeared from view" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/20). MLB Network's Scott Braun said, "This is going to be a show and it's going to be a packed house in Chicago" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 8/20). NBCSPORTSCHICAGO.com's Vinnie Duber wrote Kopech's debut is "sure to make for an even more hyped atmosphere" than the one that greeted White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada last July, when the No. 1 prospect in the game "made his debut in a White Sox uniform" (NBCSPORTSCHICAGO.com, 8/20).
LOOKING AT THE LONG RUN: In Chicago, Barry Rozner wrote by calling him up now, the White Sox have "given away the chance to have Kopech guaranteed for seven years instead of only six." Hahn said, "These decisions are based upon what is best for these players and the organization for the long run. ... Each individual player will be similarly judged based upon what is best for them." The Kopech call-up will "undoubtedly please a large percentage of the fan base that wants something fun to watch in September, the same group that's also screaming" for Knights RF Eloy Jimenez to "be here today." Hahn said that the team "can't allow any of that to enter their thinking" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 8/21).
