Cubs' Maddon compares White Sox pitching prospect to Chapman

Michael Kopech has a newfound fan in Joe Maddon.

On Friday, the Chicago White Sox prospect dazzled against his club's crosstown rival, striking out five batters and allowing just one hit in two innings of spring work against Maddon's Cubs. The performance prompted a candid but complimentary response from the manager, who drew similarities between the 20-year-old and one of his former pitchers.

"That's a really good arm. It was kind of like watching Aroldis Chapman the way the ball reacts at home plate," Maddon said of Kopech, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. "I talked about that with Chapman last year.

"When you're in the dugout, the last 15, 20 feet, it's just different the way the ball arrives in the catcher's mitt. Really good delivery, nice breaking ball, really interesting."

Chapman, of course, is known for his ability to frequently top 100 mph on the radar gun with freakish ease, which acts as another comparison to the young White Sox prospect.

Kopech, who joined Chicago in a December trade with the Boston Red Sox for Chris Sale, has already technically hit 110 mph on the radar gun, though that was in a max-velocity workout.