The White Sox have received strong contributions from rookies this season, as they have the American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner in Munetaka Murakami. The White Sox have also gotten a huge boost from rookie Sam Antonacci, as he has been a stable force at the top of the lineup.
On top of that, the White Sox have a ton of young talent already in the major leagues that are helping them win games. But that’s not all, as the White Sox have a top farm system with more help on the way.
With that being said, it is finally time for another top prospect to join the team, as his latest start should catapult him to Chicago. This would be none other than left-handed pitching prospect Hagen Smith.
Smith was taken with the fifth pick in the 2024 draft out of Arkansas, as he was one of the most dominant pitchers in college baseball that season. However, Smith’s professional career has been a bit of a roller coaster.
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Over 117 minor league innings, Smith owns a career 3.85 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. While those numbers aren’t overly impressive, Smith has been relatively unhittable, as hitters have only hit .178 against him. He also continues to put up insane strikeout numbers, as he has struck out 162 batters in those 117 innings.
While the batting average against and the strikeouts are elite, walks have been an issue for Smith, specifically this year. In 33 innings this season, Smith has walked 27 batters. That’s not gonna cut it. Additionally, he’s had some issues with his velocity decreasing during his starts, which is slightly concerning.
After a string of fantastic starts in March and April, Smith has struggled in May. However, in his start today, he looked much better. In five innings, his longest start of the season, Smith gave up two runs on four hits, walking just one. He struck out seven batters.
Hagen Smith tallies his longest start of the season for Triple-A @KnightsBaseball 🔥
The @WhiteSox No. 4 prospect racks up seven strikeouts and tops out at 96.5 MPH with 12 swings-and-misses: pic.twitter.com/ZsLfgNcGOa
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 28, 2026
It is good to see he was able to limit the walks and have his longest outing of the season. Additionally, according to MLB Pipeline, his velocity was back where it usually is, as he topped out at 96.5 mph.
At this point, it’s time for Smith to make it to Chicago and work through any walk issues he has with the big league club. Since he generates swings and misses at such an elite rate, he can work around some early control issues. Unless the White Sox are woking on some significant mechanical changes with Smith, there’s no better place to learn than by facing the best competition in the world.
After showing he can limit the walks in today’s start, I think it’s time to get him up to Chicago and ease him into his major league career. While it’s likely that the White Sox want to see a few more starts limiting the walks, it may just be time to see what he can do in Chicago.
Smith is arguably the most talented pitcher in the system and he has the potential to be a frontline starter for the White Sox for a long time. I believe that a promotion will give him a boost of confidence and get him back on track. Plus, the White Sox can ease him in by piggybacking him with another starter, or by working him in out of the bullpen in certain situations.
