Fly the “Coop”? The State of White Sox Pitching Development

For 18 years, Don Cooper has been the pitching coach of the Chicago White Sox. He has seen a World Series Championship, a rebuild, and whatever 2011-2016 would be called. Managers, hitting coaches, and other staff members have all come and gone. The constant has been Cooper. Naturally, that has long had White Sox fans asking a question that has only come up again after the early season struggles this year: is it time for Cooper to “fly the coop” and usher in a new era of pitching on the South Side?

In this article, we will tackle a lot, from the history to Don Cooper to the time after Cooper calls it quits, and everything in between. Note, this article is not pro-Coop or anti-Coop. It’s an evaluation of Cooper’s history in as unbiased a way as possible.

The History of Don Cooper

Don Cooper became the pitching coach midway through the 2002 season. He has been a coach in the organization since 1988. From 2003-2019, here’s how the White Sox’s staff has fared in terms of Team ERA and ERA+ as compared to the major league average:

So, the White Sox have been as low as 12% below league average to as high as 25% above league average (2005, of course). But, in between the high’s and low’s, the White Sox’s staff has been rather average, falling within a couple percentage points of a league average rotation most years with the best years coming from 2005-2013. Even through the rebuilding years, the White Sox have shown improvements that can be credited to an improved/growing pitching staff/rotation. Thus far in 2020, the White Sox’s ERA+ is 97 – a bit below league average. Overall, I think these stats show a much better staff than fans likely expected.

Over the years, we have certainly seen the high and low points of the White Sox rotation. For all the starts we saw from Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, there were plenty of starts from Anthony Ranaudo, Philip Humber, Mat Latos, Hector Noesi, Ervin Santana, and others. This is where the history of Don Cooper becomes more questioned than the stats show above. At the same time, how much of that is pointed to Cooper’s abilities as a pitching coach, rather than just a lack of visible talent? It’s something I’ve tried to keep in mind when evaluating the work Cooper has done.

Yet, even in the worst years of the rebuild, the White Sox have found ways to remain remarkably close to average as a pitching staff. To whom does the credit go for that? Again, something I’ve tried to keep in mind when evaluating Coop.

All I’m trying to say is that, when assessing Don Cooper, the positives need to be highlighted along with the negatives, while keeping both in context. The good things that happen with player signings/trades aren’t just Rick Hahn’s doing, and good things pitchers do on the mound aren’t just attributable to Cooper. Likewise, much like roster construction isn’t just Rick Hahn’s fault, pitching woes aren’t just Don Cooper’s fault. At the end of the day, Coop isn’t the one throwing the pitches on the mound. You have to place the accountability on the player to get himself better.

Which brings us naturally to our next topic of conversation…

Lucas Giolito, Carson Fulmer, and Zack Burdi

The three pitchers we are going to talk about in this section notably sought advice from outside of the organization while working to get themselves better. Because of these situations, the questions surrounding Don Cooper grew louder.

Lucas Giolito notably sought outside help from his former high school pitching coach in the offseason before his 2019 overhaul and breakout – though Lucas will tell you Coop was along for the ride the whole way, and the change in arm motion happened naturally rather than being a suggestion. This was when the rumblings began: what does Don Cooper actually do for pitchers, shouted White Sox fans.

Then came the Carson Fulmer era. Not only did Fulmer fail to live up to his potential, but he notably sought out Driveline in multiple offseasons to work on his pitches. Additionally, in his first few outings with the Tigers, something noticeable had changed: despite the elite pitch metrics Carson Fulmer had on his cutter the past few years, he stopped throwing it in 2020. Notably, Don Cooper is known for “loving” the cutter and encouraging younger pitchers to throw it. Instead, Fulmer decided to ditch the pitch.

Finally, Zack Burdi’s comments after his major league debut caused some more eyes to roll on Twitter:

Don Cooper has caught flak for these developments, perhaps for being out of touch from the modern game or not being able to get the most out of his pitchers on his own. Perhaps, according to some, if the Sox could get better results from not listening to Coop, it was time to move on.

This leads to the natural question, and the main point of this article….

Are Outside Opinions a Bad Thing?

This article is not meant to be pro-Coop or anti-Coop. I don’t have particularly strong feelings about Don Cooper, and it’s for the reasons we are about to walk through here.

This is the era of information we are living in. Never before has data, video, and other forms of information been so accessible at just the push of a button or the tap of a phone. Heck, I can sit here and analyze pitchers/hitters from the comfort of my own home. Though I have a general sense of what sort of information players have, I can only imagine it’s much more than even I know of.

People process data and information differently. Some people enjoy deep data dives, some don’t want to see data at all. It is up to the pitching coach to try and bring all of these viewpoints together and speak to each player in a way that works for them. Though not an impossible feat, it’s not an easy one, but it absolutely is Cooper’s job and what he is hired to do.

On the flip side: players go to Driveline every year. Driveline is known for being an industry leader in pitch data and pitch development. Trevor Bauer has made a career out of going to Driveline and working with people such as Kyle Boddy. Each year, the number of players who seek out this organization grows. I doubt you’ve ever looked at it and said, “That’s bad that the organization can’t provide for them.” On the contrary, I’m sure you’ve praised players – as I have – for taking a crucial piece of their own development on themselves and seeking out industry leaders to get results. This is just one example of the idea that sometimes, you need different opinions. It’s the same at work on a project, or at school on a research paper. It’s why you’re asked to search through every theory and work through every angle and get multiple points of feedback on work. One person can’t always give you the answers you need.

So, no, I don’t think outside opinions are a bad thing. I doubt every pitcher vibes with their pitching coach on every other team in baseball. That’s just not how this works. I’m sure there are things Cooper does well that have helped guys throughout the system – I mean, players have said as much in the past and to this day. However, at the same time, I’m sure there’s some “traditional” tendencies that not everyone on the team agrees with. At that point, players will seek outside opinions or new data/information than what’s presented. This is not a bad thing in my opinion; rather, it’s a positive development of a willingness and drive to get better on the part of players.

We as fans place too much emphasis on what the coaches do for a team. The coaches can’t hold players accountable for their own development, can’t get them to put in work off the field, and certainly can’t throw the pitches for them. They can suggest what they think works and work to find solutions together. But if something isn’t working, it’s up to the players to find new opinions.

It’s as the old saying goes: “You can lead the camel to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

The Future on the South Side

Whether or not I blame the entirety of the White Sox pitching woes on Don Cooper doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I do personally believe that change is going to be coming sooner than later on the South Side. Thankfully, the White Sox have some pretty talented names on their Player Development Staff. Here are three potential in-house names the White Sox might turn to when the time comes for a new pitching coach in Chicago.

Matt Zaleski

Zaleski is currently the pitching coach at AAA Charlotte after serving as a pitching coach in the organization since 2016. Much like the other names on this list, Zaleski isn’t too far beyond his pitching days. At just 36 years old, Zaleski last pitched in the minors in 2014 and spent 11 years in the White Sox’s minor league system.

Zaleski has drawn rave reviews from players and staff throughout the organization. Along with Everett Teaford, his philosophy of the high-spin rate fastball with the sharp breaking ball has been implemented throughout the system. You can see the results of this through some of the young arms coming up (Codi Heuer, Matt Foster, Zack Burdi) and will see it in the future with Jared Kelley, Matthew Thompson, and Garrett Crochet. If nothing else, Zaleski’s data-driven approach would be a welcome change on the South Side if the team were to search for a fresh face that they were still comfortable with.

Everett Teaford

The other half of the tandem above – Everett Teaford – would be another natural fit on this team moving forward. Teaford, 36, does have some major league pitching experience with the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays. He also pitched in the KBO before joining the White Sox in 2018 as a quality control coach on the pitching side. He is currently the Pitching Coordinator for the White Sox, the role Cooper held before being named pitching coach in 2002 and an incredibly important one in any organization.

The above is from a James Fegan article on the Barons’ pitching staff. Much like Zaleski, Teaford has earned rave reviews from throughout the White Sox organization. Perhaps the White Sox find a role for the two to work together at the highest level, but for now, Teaford will continue to work at the Schaumburg site with some of the Sox’s young arms. It’s certainly attributable to both Zaleski and Teaford that young power arms have come up and contributed immediately.

Danny Farquhar

Another former White Sox hurler is on this list here, and again for good reason. Dubbed “Statcast” by his former teammates, Farquhar is known for being someone who dove into the data after spending time in the Rays’ organization. Farquhar has pitched as recently as 2019, so his time might not be the immediate future. However, it is clear that his forward-thinking ability has made an impact in the organization and the team thinks highly of his coaching abilities. I look forward to seeing the role Farquhar plays in this organization moving forward. For now, he starts at the pitching coach in Winston-Salem.

Well, we tackled a lot in this article. Let’s review it all here:

1. Don Cooper’s legacy on the South Side has been consistently around average to above average. The pitching staff hasn’t always been at the top of the league, but at the same time, they’ve kept themselves from the bottom. You can decide for yourselves how much you want to attribute that fact to Cooper.
2. As for pitchers learning/getting opinions from others outside of the organization: I think it’s an overreaction that it meant to drive the argument that Cooper should be replaced. Players do this all the time, it’s literally why Driveline exists – and that’s just one example. There are arguments that you can make for the White Sox needing to move on from Don Cooper. The fact that pitchers have gone outside the organization for fresh perspectives, something rather commonplace, is not one of them.
3. Is it time for a new voice in the dugout? Maybe. 18 years is a long time for a pitching coach, and few have the tenure with one team that Cooper has. Whether the Sox decide to go a different route or Cooper decides to give it up, the White Sox have some pretty fantastic young, in-house, and analytically-driven options to turn to.

Personally, you know I prefer data. Though Cooper says he’s into the data, I’m not sure he’s into it as much as most pitching coaches around the league are. Because of this, I think a change at pitching coach would be natural for the White Sox. However, fans shouldn’t dismiss the knowledge Cooper has, and it’s likely Cooper could still find some role in the organization.

However, I am excited for the future of this organization with the advanced analytical approach they have begun taking at the minor league levels. I look forward to the day when that makes it up the chain to the big leagues. Perhaps that’s when Ricky Renteria becomes most important as someone who can blend old school and new school. Perhaps the White Sox decide to go full force on their analytic options. Either way, I look forward to the future of the organization, while also remaining respectful of those who have paved the way to get here.

Thoughts? Let me know below or on Twitter! @jlazowski14

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