Don Cooper Passes Away

Longtime White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper passed away earlier this week, the team confirmed on Wednesday. Cooper was 70 years old. Cooper coached in the White Sox organization for 33 seasons. He served as the big-league pitching coach for 18 years. Cooper was at the helm of some of the best pitching staffs of the 2000s. The foursome of Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, and Jose Contreras carried the White Sox to a 2005 World Series victory. “He fixed Jose Contreras,” former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski told the Chicago Sun-Times. “He helped Mark Buehrle become a borderline, arguably a Hall-of-Famer. Jon Garland, he made better. Brandon McCarthy, helped have a long career. Freddy Garcia, he helped with stuff. Bobby Jenks, he fixed, Cliff Politte, Neal Cotts. The list goes on and on of people that he helped, not only on the field, but off the field.” Cooper was also there for the beginning of future Hall of Famer Chris Sale’s career, which included five All-Star selections and four top-five Cy Young finishes. Sale came into the league as a reliever with big strikeout upside and questionable control. By the time his White Sox tenure ended, he was one of the most dominant starters in the sport. “I wouldn’t be here without him,” Sale said after his start on Wednesday, as relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com. While he’s best-known for his work as a coach, Cooper also spent four seasons pitching in the big leagues. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1978. After two years in the organization, Cooper was taken by the Twins in the Rule 5 draft. He pitched to a 4.30 ERA across 27 appearances as a rookie in 1981. Cooper appeared in six games the following season. He would close his playing career with brief stints with the Blue Jays and Yankees. Cooper wrapped up his time in the majors after the 1985 campaign. He received his first coaching job in 1988 at Single-A in the White Sox organization. Cooper worked his way up the ladder, briefly serving as the big-league pitching coach in 1995. He’d get the gig for good in 2002, holding the role through 2020. MLBTR sends our condolences to Cooper’s family, friends, and loved ones. Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images