Prospect Rankings
Player | Position | School | Height / Weight | Bats | Throws | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | Oregon State | A+ | 2025 | 22 | 6' 0" / 199 lbs | L | R |
2 | Charlie Condon | OF/3B | Georgia | A+ | 2026 | 21 | 6' 6" / 216 lbs | R | R |
3 | Jac Caglianone | 1B/LHP | Florida | A+ | 2026 | 21 | 6' 5" / 250 lbs | L | L |
4 | JJ Wetherholt | SS/2B | West Virginia | A | 2026 | 22 | 5' 10" / 190 lbs | L | R |
5 | Hagen Smith | LHP | Arkansas | A+ | 2025 | 21 | 6' 3" / 225 lbs | L | L |
- AGE21
- BATSL
- DOB08/19/2003
- THROWSL
- HT6' 3"
- DRAFTED2024, 1st (5) - CWS
- WT225
- ETA2025
- TWITTER
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 65 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 60
After blowing out his elbow as a high school sophomore and having Tommy John surgery, Smith bounced back to tie a Texas prep record with seven no-hitters as a senior in 2021. He might have factored in the top three rounds that July if not for his strong commitment to Arkansas. He has better stuff than any southpaw in this Draft and could be the first pitcher selected after finding more consistency this spring. He won Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and led NCAA Division I in average-against (.144) and strikeout rate (17.3 per nine innings), setting a record in the latter category.
Smith operates at 94-97 mph and touches 100 with his fastball, which plays up because his funky delivery creates deception and riding action. His best offering is an 83-87 mph slider, which features sweep and depth while destroying lefties and keeping righties at bay, and he also can turn it into a cutter that reaches 91 mph. He uses an upper-80s splitter as a change of pace, and while he struggles to locate it well, it has intriguing tumble when it's on.
Smith employs far from a textbook delivery, working from a low-three-quarters slot with some crossfire that makes it tough to pick up his pitches and also to throw strikes at times. He has improved his control and performance in 2024, highlighted by striking out 17 over six innings on just 78 pitches against Oregon State, with some evaluators calling it the most dominant game they ever had seen. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame built for durability and could become a frontline starter if he continues to harness his stuff.