The Los Angeles Dodgers addressed their bullpen prior to the trade deadline with the addition of a struggling reliever in Michael Kopech.
Despite Kopech’s talent level as a former top prospect, he had posted a 4.74 ERA in 43.2 innings, and his career numbers were not much more encouraging.
But since joining the Dodgers, Kopech has been nearly unhittable. He has now thrown 6.1 scoreless innings for the club, giving up just one hit while striking out 10 and only walking one.
His dominance has earned him more high-leverage opportunities and the trust of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“It’s just real top-end stuff,” Roberts said. “It doesn’t matter left or right-hand, he’s just such a beast.
“We got him throwing that cutter going along with a 100 mph fastball, it’s an uncomfortable at-bat. The strike-throwing, he’s already all-in, bought in.
“So he’s definitely high up the trust tree right now, for sure.”
When the Dodgers acquired Kopech, they believed in his upside and saw some changes he made that would lead to consistent success. Even when he struggled, Kopech also had elite strikeout rates that made it easy to see the potential was there.
But he’s had problems with his command and the home run ball throughout his career, which has limited his success. With the Dodgers, both those problems have disappeared thus far.
It’s still a small sample, but Kopech is making a case for himself being a valuable member of the Dodgers bullpen.
Could Michael Kopech take over as Dodgers closer?
The way things are trending, Kopech seems to be a strong option to cement himself as the Dodgers top reliever. That could eventually put him in live to receive save opportunities, and potentially as their primary closer.
However, they may also see value in keeping Kopech in a fireman role so he can pitch at the biggest moments of the game, rather than saving him for the ninth inning.
But perhaps the most likely option is they continue to utilize a closer by committee with Kopech, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia among those getting chances.
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