White Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech joked that perhaps there will be a benefit to the shorter locks he is sporting during spring training.
“I think it’s more aerodynamic,” he said Saturday from the clubhouse at Camelback Ranch.
The 20-year-old Kopech had spent a year and half growing out his blonde hair, which along with a triple-digit fastball drew comparisons to Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard. But he made the difficult move to cut it just a few days after SoxFest, per manager Rick Renteria’s request.
The Sox occasionally have asked players over the years to keep shorter hair or trim their beards if they are too unkempt, and Kopech figures it’s all part of the initiation into his new club.
“Coming into a new organization, it’s understandable they want a professional look,” Kopech said. “The hair was always kind of a personal thing for me, just a preference. But we’re more about being a team here, and Rick has made that very clear. I’m just trying to fit the mold everybody is trying to have in place here.”
Kopech, who joined the Sox in the Chris Sale trade in December, said he wasn’t completely unprepared for the cut. He figured the Red Sox, who had a policy of keeping hair maintained, would have told him to rein it in if he had returned to their camp this year.
“I’ve been growing it out for a while, so that was something that cut deep,” Kopech said. “But it makes me feel like a little more a part of the team, that I actually would go through with it. So it wasn’t too big of a deal.”
Shorter hair isn’t the only change for Kopech this spring.
Along with the change in teams, he switched spring training locations from Florida to Arizona. He also is in a big-league camp for the first time, which he finds less structured than minor-league camp.
“It’s based more on our will to get the work done here,” Kopech said. “They put it a little more in your hands and want you to be professional and see how you handle things. … It’s up to you. It’s your career.”
Caption White Sox catchers play joke on pitcher James Shields
White Sox catchers play a joke on pitcher James Shields on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox catchers play a joke on pitcher James Shields on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Caption White Sox catchers play joke on pitcher James Shields
White Sox catchers play a joke on pitcher James Shields on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox catchers play a joke on pitcher James Shields on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Todd Frazier on the ‘refueling’ the White Sox
White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier on the "refueling" team at spring training on Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier on the “refueling” team at spring training on Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Carlos Rodon, Rick Renteria on Rodon’s separate spring training work
White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon and manager Rick Renteria discuss Rodon’s separate work at spring training on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon and manager Rick Renteria discuss Rodon’s separate work at spring training on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Tour of White Sox’s spring training facility at Camelback Ranch
Tribune reporter Colleen Kane tours the White Sox’s spring training facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 16, 2017.
Tribune reporter Colleen Kane tours the White Sox’s spring training facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 16, 2017.
Caption Prospect Reynaldo Lopez on his experience in the majors
White Sox prospect Reynaldo Lopez on his experience in the majors on Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox prospect Reynaldo Lopez on his experience in the majors on Feb. 17, 2017. (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)
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