Ronan Kopp

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #15 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Kopp frustrated scouts as a talented but enigmatic lefthander in high school. He made his way to South Mountain (Ariz.) JC and improved enough for the Dodgers to draft him in the 12th round and sign him for an above-slot $250,000. Kopp continued his upward trend at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in his first full season and built on it with High-A Great Lakes in 2023. He led the Midwest League with a .184 opponent average and tied for third with 107 strikeouts, but his 16.7% walk rate was the league’s second-highest.
  
  Scouting Report: Kopp is physically huge at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds. His fastball sits 92-95 mph and touches 98 with hard downhill plane and gets on batters quickly with the extension generated by his long limbs. He complements his fastball with a lateral, mid-80s slider with late break that flashes above-average, although it’s inconsistent. Kopp’s changeup is below-average, so he added an 86-89 mph cutter that ties up righthanded hitters and projects to be average. He also has a big-breaking, 73-75 mph curveball that flashes average. Kopp is difficult to hit in the strike zone, but he’s a poor athlete and lumbering giant who struggles to repeat his release point and delivery. He has well below-average control and caps out at about 3-4 innings.
  
  The Future: Kopp projects to be a lefthanded relief weapon who can pitch multiple innings. He’ll open 2024 at Double-A Tulsa.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 30
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #15 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Kopp looked like a potential first-rounder in high school before enormous velocity fluctuations his senior year led him to go unpicked in the shortened 2020 draft. Rather than head to Arizona State, Kopp went to South Mountain (Ariz.) JC and showed enough for the Dodgers to draft him in the 12th round and sign him for an above-slot $250,000. Kopp immediately stood out in instructional league after he was drafted and continued to impress at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022. He began the year in the Quakes bullpen but forced his way into the rotation and was voted the California League's best pitching prospect by opposing managers.
  
  Scouting Report: Kopp is an enormous pitcher at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and overpowers hitters with his pure stuff. His fastball sits 96-98 mph with late life in short bursts and plays up with the funky angles he generates from his long limbs. He complements his fastball with a mid-80s slider that has added lateral movement to become an average pitch. Kopp dominates lefties with his stuff and angle, but he hasn't settled on a splitter or changeup as his third pitch yet and will have to develop one to handle righties. Kopp is a lumbering giant and below-average athlete who struggles to keep long limbs in sync, leading to well below-average control. He dominates when he's synced up but has other outings where he struggles to get through an inning or two.
  
  The Future: Kopp projects to be a big, hard-throwing reliever who neutralizes lefthanders. He'll head to High-A Great Lakes in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Slider: 50. Changeup: 30. Control: 30

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #456 prospect in 2021 draft
  Kopp was a tough evaluation for scouts coming out of high school in 2020 given his lack of innings and extreme variance in velocity from start to start, and there is still no clear direction either on his future potential or his signability. Originally committed to Arizona State, Kopp instead found his way to South Mountain (Ariz.) JC this spring, where he struck out 38 batters and walked 25 over 25.1 innings, posting a 2.84 ERA. Kopp’s size and lefthandedness are the attributes that would get him drafted, along with a fastball that touches 97 mph and an inconsistent but potentially plus breaking ball, but his erratic performance will give teams pause before calling his name. Some observers believe he’s not yet ready to move on to the next level, either college or pro ball, and that he’d be best served by returning to South Mountain for another year.
• Ranked #269 prospect in 2020 draft
  Kopp presents one of the biggest quandaries for area scouts after his few appearances this spring. He came out of the summer showcase circuit with plenty of helium, a premium commodity because of his size and handedness. But his limited outings, going back to a tournament in January, left scouts scratching their heads trying to figure out what to make of him. His fastball velocity has fluctuated from topping out at 96-97 mph in at least one game to sitting in the mid-80s in another, and he’s had well below-average command. When he’s right, Kopp throws strikes with a fastball into the 90s and a curveball that he manipulates and lands consistently. But that version of Kopp didn’t emerge this spring. With a shorter draft planned for this year, it’s likely that Kopp will head to Arizona State. Even so, a team that thinks it can get him back on track and add more consistency might roll the dice on his upside.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Kopp looked like a potential first-rounder in high school before enormous velocity fluctuations his senior year led him to go unpicked in the shortened 2020 draft. Rather than head to Arizona State, Kopp went to South Mountain (Ariz.) JC and showed enough for the Dodgers to draft him in the 12th round and sign him for an above-slot $250,000. Kopp immediately stood out in instructional league after he was drafted and continued to impress at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022. He began the year in the Quakes bullpen but forced his way into the rotation and was voted the California League's best pitching prospect by opposing managers.
  
  Scouting Report: Kopp is an enormous pitcher at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and overpowers hitters with his pure stuff. His fastball sits 96-98 mph with late life in short bursts and plays up with the funky angles he generates from his long limbs. He complements his fastball with a mid-80s slider that has added lateral movement to become an average pitch. Kopp dominates lefties with his stuff and angle, but he hasn't settled on a splitter or changeup as his third pitch yet and will have to develop one to handle righties. Kopp is a lumbering giant and below-average athlete who struggles to keep long limbs in sync, leading to well below-average control. He dominates when he's synced up but has other outings where he struggles to get through an inning or two.
  
  The Future: Kopp projects to be a big, hard-throwing reliever who neutralizes lefthanders. He'll head to High-A Great Lakes in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Slider: 50. Changeup: 30. Control: 30
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Kopp looked like a potential first-rounder in high school before enormous velocity fluctuations his senior year led him to go unpicked in the shortened 2020 draft. Rather than head to Arizona State, Kopp went to South Mountain (Ariz.) JC and showed enough for the Dodgers to draft him in the 12th round and sign him for an above-slot $250,000. Kopp immediately stood out in instructional league after he was drafted and continued to impress at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2022. He began the year in the Quakes bullpen but forced his way into the rotation and was voted the California League's best pitching prospect by opposing managers.
  
  Scouting Report: Kopp is an enormous pitcher at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and overpowers hitters with his pure stuff. His fastball sits 96-98 mph with late life in short bursts and plays up with the funky angles he generates from his long limbs. He complements his fastball with a mid-80s slider that has added lateral movement to become an average pitch. Kopp dominates lefties with his stuff and angle, but he hasn't settled on a splitter or changeup as his third pitch yet and will have to develop one to handle righties. Kopp is a lumbering giant and below-average athlete who struggles to keep long limbs in sync, leading to well below-average control. He dominates when he's synced up but has other outings where he struggles to get through an inning or two.
  
  The Future: Kopp projects to be a big, hard-throwing reliever who neutralizes lefthanders. He'll head to High-A Great Lakes in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Slider: 50. Changeup: 30. Control: 30
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  August Update: The 6-foot-7 lefthander has shown a potent mix of stuff and deception en route to a dominant season at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. The unique angles from his long limbs help his upper-90s fastball and plus breaking ball generate exceptional movement.