White Sox fans furious Michael Kopech is finally listening to Dodgers' coaches

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech has an elite fastball. His fastball velocity ranks in the 99th percentile in MLB and he's relied on the pitch heavily this season.

Kopech arrived in Los Angeles from the south side of Chicago at the trade deadline, and like his other White Sox teammates, he struggled. He posted a 4.74 ERA over 43.2 innings. But the Dodgers saw the potential of his fastball and made the trade despite his less-than-impressive numbers.

The move has paid off for LA, in part, because Mark Prior and the coaching staffasked him to throw his fastball less. Kopech has a 0.53 ERA with 21 strikeouts and four walks over 17 innings since he was traded to the Dodgers.

Throwing fewer fastballs has been a recurring theme in MLB this year. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey has been vocal about his opinions on the fastball and has encouraged his club to throw them less often. MLB batters have adjusted to high-velocity pitches and can easily tag a missed four-seamer, but breaking and offspeed pitches are less predictable.

Former White Sox Michael Kopech has thrived for the Dodgers by throwing his best pitch less often

Sam Blum and Eno Sarris of The Athletic reported that Kopech's journey to throwing his fastball less began in Chicago and continued when he moved to the Dodgers organization. The righty didn't follow the White Sox coaching staff's advice right away, but it clearly worked out for him — even without listening or pitching all that well, Kopech ended up on a contending team.

Kopech's improved cutter has become the crucial counterpart to his blistering four-seamer and makes it all the more deadly. It's helping him pitch his way to a larger role as LA nears the postseason.

Evan Phillips had a rough stretch out of the Dodgers' closer spot in July, when he pitched to an 11.74 ERA in 10 appearances. He's since brought his numbers back to Earth after he posted an 0.73 ERA in 12.1 innings in August and hasn't allowed a run in September, but Kopech has been consistent since he arrived in LA.

Wherever he pitches as the Dodgers push for the playoffs, they have the version of Kopech that the White Sox could've used all season. If he threw a few more cutters in Chicago, maybe they'd have a win total sitting above the low-30s.