White Sox new pitching advisor shares philosophy

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Brian Bannister has a philosophy about the origins of putting together a solid pitching staff. Or it’s more of a recipe presented by the new White Sox senior advisor to pitching.

“You have ingredients in the organization when you get there,” said Bannister, who spoke to the media before a 3-1 White Sox victory over the D-backs on Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. “It’s the Drafts that have occurred in previous years, it’s the players that are in the system, it’s the expertise of the staff and what they’re comfortable teaching.

“But ultimately, you’re looking to bake the best cakes possible. These are the ingredients you have, so bake the best cakes.”

In terms of the ‘24 White Sox starting rotation, Bannister is looking at just two certainties among his ingredients. Dylan Cease, who enters his final ‘23 start Friday with 207 strikeouts, followed by Michael Kopech, whose ‘23 season ended via surgery on Sept. 22 to remove a cyst from his right knee.

That procedure capped off a rough second half for Kopech, when he posted an 8.10 ERA over 14 games and 11 starts. Bannister has a history with the right-hander from their days in the Red Sox organization, before Kopech was part of the Chris Sale trade starting the White Sox rebuild. Bannister served as director of pitching analysis and development and eventually transitioned to the Red Sox coaching staff as the assistant pitching coach in the middle of the 2016 season.

Bannister believes Kopech can be elevated to top starting form. And Kopech looks forward to Bannister’s assistance, supplementing the work he’s done to date.

“I’ve liked Banny since I met him,” Kopech said. “He’s been nothing but good to me as a professional. He can offer a lot with the experience he’s had being with the Sox and Giants. I’m excited to have him on, excited to get to know him more on a personal level. [And] see where that can take my career and, hopefully, take this team.”

“My sweet spot has always been helping pitchers who are either coming off a down year or have lost their identity a little bit, and really getting in there and building trust with them and helping them identify what makes them a productive Major League pitcher and just walking alongside them in that process,” said Bannister, who already has had conversations with Kopech. “I’m a big believer in him.”

That surgically removed cyst was present all season for Kopech, but he refused to use it as an excuse. It wasn’t something he was thinking about when pitching.

When he had surgery to repair a torn right meniscus at the end of the ‘22 season, the doctor told Kopech the cyst was something manageable and didn’t need to be removed. This year, the doctor said it would be difficult to manage, or at least require a great deal of maintenance, and thought it would be the best thing to get a jump start on the offseason and not hamper his work and preparation for ’24.

Kopech finished ’23 in the bullpen, although his last outing came as the opener on Sept. 20 against the Nationals. He was reminded about being ready every day from that short relief return, but also learned from the overall struggles.

“As a starter, it seems like you don’t have to be ready every day. You have to be ready every fifth day, but that’s something that’s not the case,” Kopech said. “You have work every day between starts.

“You have work to do as far as studying hitters, being a professional and going about your work. And not that I didn’t do that, but I could have been more present each day. That’s what I hope to take into the offseason and into next season.”