Dylan Cease — the “lesser” of two halves in the White Sox trade with the Cubs last summer — has similar characteristics to new White Sox flamethrower, Michael Kopech.
“The ball has life coming out of his hand,” White Sox pitching guru Don Cooper told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Sun-Times. “Listen, he might be just a tick behind Michael and arguably, he might be ahead of him.’’
Like Kopech, Cease has pure stuff that will carry him a long way into the major leagues. His fastball can reach into the triple digits with three complimentary pitches that have serious potential. Cease had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and although Eloy Jimenez was considered the jewel of the Quintan trade with the Cubs, Cease served to be the kicker and he has delivered on his promise.
Cease was shut down last week after his final start at double-A and he closed the season with an eye-popping stat line that Sox fans can dream on.
“Cease started the season in High-A Winston Salem and moved up to double-A on June 21 after logging a 9-2 record with a 2.89 ERA. But Cease served up better marks at double-A with a 1.72 ERA and four strikeouts shy of matching his high-A total in three fewer starts. Southern League lineups were confounded by Cease and only batted .168 against him. And over his final six starts Cease posted a 0.29 ERA fanning 48 batters in 30 2/3 innings.”
Cooper was asked if Cease could have benefited from a few more starts with Birmingham, to which he answered in only the way Coop can:
“What are we going to gain with two more starts? The ends wouldn’t justify the means. He achieved the innings we wanted him to get and he achieved the improvement. He’s done everything we wanted him to do. We’re taking care of him because he’s one of our big pieces.”
Although not as elegant a response as one could have hoped for, there’s no doubting Coop’s wisdom. Cease piled on significant innings from last season and with such a powerful arm and history of surgery, the White Sox are exercising caution.
Chris Getz added his thoughts on Cease as well.
“He’s taken a step forward from a fastball command standpoint, really improved his slider, his curveball is very good and he improved his changeup as well,” Getz said. “He’s commanding pitches, and physically had a very smooth season.”
It seems Cease is developing at a similar pace to Kopech and on several planes. Getz mentioned how Cease’s pitches have come along in terms of depth and command while his poise and maturity remain one of his strengths.
“Dylan is a mature kid,” Getz told Van Schouwen. “He has a very good understanding of himself as a player and person. Coming into 2019 I expect him to continue to put himself in position to be part of this soon. He’s just a very balanced kid. He has a great arm. He understands how his stuff plays and emotionally he knows how to remain poised on the mound and let his ability take over.”
Based on Cease’s dominance in an abbreviated stint with double-A this season I could see the White Sox sending him back to Birmingham to begin the 2019 campaign. However, there is a case to be made for placing him in triple-A. Despite a mid-season promotion, Cease logged a fair amount of innings in Birmingham this year and it appears he has the pure stuff to succeed in Charlotte. And if White Sox brass need a motion to move Cease up, Zack Collin’s recent endorsement is enough to carry the motion.
