White Sox dads share stories ahead of Father's Day

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to those who will be celebrating this Sunday. I also want to thank all of those who responded to my tribute to Edward Merkin, a tremendous father to me and my two brothers, and add how much I enjoyed reading the stories about many of you and your fathers.

Very touching. Very heartwarming.

We cover baseball at MLB.com and we do it as well as anyone in the world. But remember these players also have lives beyond the home runs, stolen bases, diving catches and ERAs below 3.00. With Father’s Day in mind, here’s a couple of stories from talented White Sox players concerning the most important role of their respective lives.

Adam Engel
Engel, 30, has four daughters (ages 5, 3, 2 and 1) with his wife, Jaime. As one could imagine, traveling together becomes quite an interesting endeavor.

“It’s definitely something you can’t let sneak up on you. It’s a lot of planning involved,” Engel said. “We almost have to have a better gameplan for that then you do for the starting pitcher that day. So, my wife does an incredible job.

“She makes lists all the time. I give her a hard time about it, but she’ll have a list two weeks before we actually have to leave for anything. We knock out these lists as we go. There’s a lot to it. There’s a lot to pack, especially when you got the baby. But we are getting better at it, so it’s getting a little easier each year.”

Having a family always was important to Engel and his wife. Although Father’s Day is coming this Sunday, he gives Jaime special credit for their great family.

“My wife is incredible. She is a warrior,” Engel said. “She’s the one spending the most time with them, so it’s even better when I know my wife is the one kind of bringing them up.

“You definitely don’t have a lot of time for yourself, but we view it as an investment in our girls. No better investment than the lives of your own kids. We love being parents. Father's Day, Mother’s Day, they are special days for us. We view it as a blessing to be parents.”

Michael Kopech
Kopech’s son, Vander, was born on May 20 and had to wait all the way until June 7 to see his dad pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kopech one-hit the Dodgers over six innings during a 4-0 victory on that night, striking out 8.

“They said he stayed awake for a couple of innings. So maybe he got to see something,” Kopech said. “It was really cool.

“He won’t remember, but I always will. I assume he’ll probably ask about this game at some point. Just hope I can live up to expectations and make him proud. It was really cool to have them here.”

Setting a good example for his two sons is important to Kopech. That importance would rate the same high level even if Kopech wasn’t a public figure as an accomplished athlete.

“To be honest, I want to have that mindset just in general,” Kopech said. “With the career I’m fortunate enough to have and the career most of us are fortunate to have in here, there’s a lot of people tuning in and listening and watching, and I think being a role model of sorts to the next generation can go a long way.

“If that’s in my household, then it’s all the better. I want to be able to carry myself in a manner they can respect and learn from. I take a lot of pride in that.”