Hagen Smith, the left-handed pitcher out of Arkansas selected No. 5 overall in the 2024 Draft by the White Sox, signed with the team for $8 million, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis. The slot value at No. 5 was $7,763,700, with the White Sox overall pool checking in at $14,593,300.

• White Sox draft electric lefty Hagen Smith with No. 5 pick

The White Sox announced Smith’s signing, without further financial information, as part of 20 of their 21 selections agreeing to terms on Tuesday afternoon. The $8 million bonus sets a White Sox record and breaks Brendan McKay’s record ($7,005,000) for left-handed pitchers, while Smith becomes the 12th player in MLB Draft history to receive a bonus of $8 million or more.

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“Obviously, the performance track record, there’s not enough quality left-handers out there and he was the best in college this year,” said White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister of Smith during a Tuesday Zoom. “Really, a nice power fastball that misses bats. Unique approach angles. Ability to spin a breaking ball.

“I’ve had an opportunity to work with Chris Sale and Carlos Rodón, who both had tremendous success with the White Sox. And when looking at our ballpark and the types of pitchers who play in our park, [Smith] fit the mold. You can see the success [Garrett] Crochet has had this year with the addition of the cutter and the reshaping of his arsenal. Kind of taking a leap forward to a No. 1 type starter in the league. We think Hagen has that type of ceiling and that type of stuff.”

Over 16 starts for Arkansas this past season, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound southpaw went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA, a .144 opponents average, a 0.89 WHIP and 161 strikeouts over 84 innings. Smith led Division 1 pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings (NCAA-record 17.25), opponents average and hits per nine innings (4.4). He set Razorbacks program records with 11 double-digit strikeout games in 2024 and 360 career strikeouts.

"All the technology and stuff is cool, that can really help,” said Smith of pitching for Arkansas on the night he was selected by the White Sox. “But being around high-level talent day in and day out, especially with this special group this past year … as a pitching staff, in general, everybody wants to get better every single day, and I feel like we all pushed each other every single day, even in practice. That kind of brought the best out of everybody."

Smith is considered by many to be close to Major League ready. The White Sox won’t rush him, although he does figure to pitch somewhere for the organization in ‘24, and he could be part of the team’s rotation at some point in ‘25. Bannister mentioned the team was looking for a power left-handed hurler or an up-the-middle position player at No. 5, and went with Smith.

“You look at our team this year, the thing that stands out is a lack of run production. So, I think bats were a priority but at the end of the day you have to take the best available with the slot we were picking in,” Bannister said. “I’m as big of a proponent of drafting bats. You look at the teams that have won World Series over the last decade, and they often started with a position player core.

“So, getting Hagen, he was the best arm available and the best at our spot. Just being able to get somebody of his caliber fitting into our style we believe will play well in the 81 games we play in our ballpark, I think was huge for us. And knowing we can develop a pitcher like that and help him to reach his ceiling.”