No. 5 overall pick kicks off pro career with goose eggs, 4 K's at High-A
This browser does not support the video element.
After being one of the most electric pitchers in college baseball, Hagen Smith started his Road to the Show on Saturday night for High-A Winston-Salem.
And much like his time with the Arkansas Razorbacks -- where he set the program’s all-time career strikeout mark (360) -- the White Sox 2024 first-round Draft pick had hitters looking silly. The left-hander struck out four batters over three innings, allowing two hits and not issuing a free pass.
Although Winston-Salem sustained a 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Aberdeen IronBirds on Saturday night at Ripken Stadium, the White Sox No. 3 prospect’s outing undoubtedly fired up some members of the fan base.
“It was pretty cool just making my debut today,” Smith said. “My fastball and slider were really good. I didn't throw any changeups, but I wanted to attack hitters and get after it.”
Just one inning into his professional career, MLB’s No. 32 prospect experienced a full-circle moment. Smith used to throw to Orioles No. 24 prospect Creed Willems when they played travel ball together in high school. Now Smith was tasked with getting him out, and succeeded by getting the left-handed hitter to strike out swinging on a ball down the middle of the plate.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
“It was an amazing moment to play against him,” Smith said “I love Creed, he's a really great guy and I got to talk to him earlier this week during batting practice and it was a great conversation.”
Smith’s outing didn’t come up without some adversity. After recording a quick out in the third inning, Smith gave up back-to-back hits, putting runners on second and third. The Bullard, Texas, native answered back by striking out the next two batters, getting out of the game with a scoreless debut intact.
Smith said he treated the start like a college game, especially considering he had been with the Dash in Aberdeen since Monday. He noted that between his time in the "bridge" league (a chance for players to stay in the groove of the game without reporting to an affiliate) and observing the contests leading up to his start, he noticed that hitters were being more selective with what pitches they decided to chase out of the zone.
But Smith’s sample size showed he can make the adjustments. After all, people within the White Sox organization have compared him to a mixture of Carlos Rodón and Chris Sale, two hurlers who had stellar runs during their time with the organization.
While there's a ways to go before he finds himself alongside those southpaws, Smith is a decorated pitcher in his own right. He became the fourth Razorback hurler to be drafted in the first round, was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year and even struck out 17 batters against a vaunted Oregon State lineup -- which included No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana (Guardians) -- earlier this season.
In the near future, Smith and White Sox No. 1 prospect Noah Schultz (who lowered his Double-A ERA to 1.46 on Saturday) could become the modern version of a Sale and Rodón combo, especially with the duo ranking as the top two left-handed arms in all of prospectdom and estimated to arrive in the Majors in 2025, per MLB Pipeline.
Until then, Smith is focused on just beginning his journey on the right foot.
“Just getting acclimated to being in the Minor Leagues,” Smith said. “It's slightly different than college, so just being out here has been amazing and I’m just enjoying every moment of it.”