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White Sox select LHP Hagen Smith 5th overall in 2024 MLB Draft

By / / 2024 MLB Draft, Minors

The White Sox may have some of the best pitching coming up through the minor leagues, and it just got even better. Mike Shirley and company took lefty Hagen Smith from the University of Arkansas with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The southpaw is 20-years-old and he underwent Tommy John surgery as a high school sophomore. Smith led NCAA Division 1 with a .144 average against piling up 17.3 K/9.

The SEC pitcher of the year turned in a stellar 2024 campaign, where he pitched to the tune of a 2.04 ERA with 161 strikeouts over 84 innings, leading the country in K/9. The southpaw ranked right in line with the White Sox’s pick, 5th overall according to MLB Pipeline. Baseball America had him one slot lower, at six. Steve Hasman profiled the southpaw for us here.

At 6’3, 225 pounds, Hagen Smith is a big body coming down the mound. Actually, coming across the mound. He’s a short-arming lefty who primarily used a two pitch mix in 2024: a fastball coming in at 94-97 mph, topping out in the triple digits, and a sweeping slider that operates in the mid-80s.

White Sox Welcome New Southpaw

He can manipulate the shape and essentially turn it into a cutter at 91 mph (perhaps may be a preview of what senior pitching advisor Brian Bannister had in mind for him). Both of those pitches grade out as plus, and there is an average split-change in the bag as well. It wasn’t used much, but it showed flashes when it was on.

This pick came out of nowhere, frankly. The White Sox were reportedly connected to position players like Jac Caglianone, JJ Wetherholt, and Konnor Griffin. There was very little mention of Smith up until the moment he was drafted. But perhaps that’s the Chris Getz strategy. Silence until it’s time to speak. We’ll see what the money looks like, but one would assume this would be an under slot deal giving the White Sox some financial flexibility to lure some players down the board.

Chris Getz and Mike Shirley have a plan. That plan is to build one of the best starting rotations that the league has seen. With arms like Drew Thorpe and Jonathan Cannon up in the big leagues, and Noah Schultz, Jairo Iriarte, Jake Eder, Mason Adams, Ky Bush, and Grant Taylor waiting in the wings, the future pitching staff in Chicago was looking bright. With the addition of Hagen Smith, it’s sparkling.

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Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos

Chris Getz will likely be adding to the system with some trades in the coming weeks. Hagen Smith should take over the #3 overall spot in the system from Thorpe once he graduates and he immediately becomes on the best left-handed pitching prospects in the sport. The 20-year-old should be able to throw some innings down the stretch with an A ball affiliate as well. The plan is for Smith to become a focal point of future rotations in Chicago and a “foundational piece” for the White Sox going forwrad.