Fansided

Red Sox prospect throws 105 mph fastball

By Greg Patuto

Apr 1, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; MLB logo on the on-deck circle during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; MLB logo on the on-deck circle during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Red Sox’s prospect Michael Kopech hit 105 mph on the radar gun during his start Wednesday in high-A ball.

Michael Kopech has done something that has only been done by one other man, and that is throw a pitch at 105 mph.

Who is Michael Kopech? He is a high-A minor leaguer in the Red Sox organization and currently ranked as the 45th prospect in the MLB. Kopech was selected as a supplemental first round pick by the Red Sox out of high school.

According to ESPN, in his start Wednesday night in Salem, Virginia; Kopech threw a pitch that hit 105 mph on not one, but two separate radar guns. This tied the fastest ever thrown by Aroldis Chapman in 2010 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Chapman threw a 105.1 mph fastball to Andrew McCutchen in the 9th inning of a Reds-Pirates matchup.

Chapman’s pitch was clocked by Trackman. While high-A baseball is not the MLB, so the radar guns may not be as reliable, this does not take anything away from the accomplishment of Kopech. It opened the eyes of scouts and showed the Red Sox that they have a guy that can throw a ball very fast for a long time in the bigs in the future.

This is, if he can stay out of trouble.

Kopech missed 50 games last season after testing positive for PEDs. This season during spring training, Kopech broke his hand after an apparent fight with a teammate. Kopech has plenty of time to workout those issues before making a debut in the MLB, and the Red Sox will make sure he does, because the talent is clearly there.

The game seems to be changing right before our eyes with hard-throwing starting pitchers like Noah Syndergaard, who averages 98.4 mph on his fastball. Kopech will fit right in. At age 20, Kopech has already tied a major league record, and if he stays healthy, he has the potential to grow and be successful.

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