Patrick Copen wins Texas League pitcher of the week
WICHITA, KS - JULY 05: Patrick Copen #41 of the Tulsa Drillers pitching during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Wichita Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park on Saturday, July 5, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Lexi Ashcraft/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images) A Dodgers minor leaguer has won a weekly award in each of the first four weeks of the 2026 season. The latest honoree is Double-A Tulsa pitcher Patrick Copen, who on Monday captured Texas League pitcher of the week honors for the week of April 20-26.
The 6’6 right-hander struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings last Thursday night on the road against the Frisco Rough Riders , allowing only one single and three walks. It was the third scoreless outing in four starts this season from Copen, who made 17 starts for Tulsa last season before starting this year repeating Double-A. He led all Dodgers minor leaguers in 2025 with 152 strikeouts, and this year he leads as well with 31 strikeouts in the early going.
Copen on the season has a 1. 23 ERA in his four starts, with 31 strikeouts and 12 walks in his 22 innings. His strikeout rate is up (35.
6 percent, after 23. 1 percent for the Drillers in 2025) and his walk rate is down (from 16 percent to 13. 8 percent).
This is the second career minor league award for Copen, who was the Midwest League pitcher of the month in May 2025 while with High-A Great Lakes, shortly before his promotion to Tulsa. Copen is the second straight Tulsa hurler to win Texas League pitcher of the week, after left-hander Luke Fox for the week of April 13-19 . Other Dodgers minor leaguers to win weekly awards this season are Triple-A Oklahoma City first baseman/outfielder James Tibbs III for March 30-April 5 and Class-A Ontario pitcher Marlon Nieves for the week of April 6-12 .