Hagen Smith gets win in MLB debut

Smith is ostensibly up with Chicago as emergency long relief depth behind veteran starters Anthony Kay and Davis Martin for the remainder of their weekend against the Guardians after a mistake by manager Will Venable forced Noah Schultz to exit after just 23 pitches on Friday night. The 22-year-old southpaw was selected fifth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and misses bats at an incredible rate, thanks to a wicked slider that comes at hitters from a three-quarters arm slot. He remains a project from a mechanics and arsenal development standpoint, which leaves some questions regarding his ultimate role. He misses enough bats to matter for fantasy purposes, whether he sticks as a starter or winds up in the bullpen down the road. His odds of making a significant fantasy impact right away are extremely long.

Noah Schultz and David Sandlin will both be sent down. This is more about having fresh arms available than anything to do with performance, but Smith and McDougal are among the team’s best prospects. Smith, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft, was moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Charlotte earlier this month and has since pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances.

The White Sox’s fifth overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft, Smith had been sidelined with a shoulder impingement but returned last Monday and has now made two appearances at Triple-A since. His fastball velocity was up to 97 mph, and he looked healthy on Friday. James Fox of Future Sox reports that Smith is expected to finish this season as a member of the White Sox bullpen and then compete for a starting spot in 2027.

Smith also threw one inning of relief on Sunday, allowing one run on one hit in one inning while walking three and striking out two. Three walks while coming off a month’s absence for a shoulder impingement is not the best sign. Hopefully it’s just some rust that needs to be shaken off.

The plan is for Smith to not throw for multiple weeks, and then to spend two more weeks ramping up before returning to game action. The 22-year-old will be out at least a month, but obviously something involving the shoulder with a pitcher could lead to a lengthier absence if there’s even a hint of a setback.

Levine mentioned that White Sox manager Will Venable said Smith is “one of the team’s options” for Saturday against the Dodgers. It would certainly be a tough first test for Smith, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The left-hander has back-to-back Triple-A outings with nine strikeouts and just threw 92 pitches in his last outing, which was his most ever in a professional game. His strikeout upside is immense, with 72 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season, but he also has 33 walks and posted a 17.6 percent walk rate last year as well. That has made it hard for him to pitch deep into games and could limit his fantasy ceiling in redraft formats.

Smith also walked three, so he was unable to complete five innings yet again, but he did throw 92 pitches in this outing, which is the most he’s ever thrown in pro ball. In his last three starts, Smith has allowed three runs on nine hits in 14 innings while striking out 25 and walking six. He has only completed five innings in one of those starts, so efficiency and command remain key issues for the 22-year-old, but he seems to be starting to round into form.

Smith also struck out nine and walked just two on the day. His pure raw stuff was impressive, but he threw 55 of his 89 pitches for strikes and needed almost 90 pitches to get 13 outs. Some of that is the result of him looking for, and getting whiffs, which led to longer counts and strikeouts. However, Smith has also struggled with his command at times this season. The fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft has plenty of upside but still has some work to do at Triple-A.

Smith’s command was a real issue here, throwing just 30 of his 62 pitches for strikes. He also sat 95.2 mph on his four-seam fastball and was down to 93.3 mph in the third inning. His slider was also over three mph slower by the third inning. Perhaps he was just struggling to get loose today, but this was a rough performance from the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Smith is the notable inclusion here after an impressive Cactus League outings against the division-rival Royals over the weekend where he struck out five over two scoreless innings. The 22-year-old southpaw projects as an impactful fantasy contributor once he reaches the majors based on his stratospheric strikeouts rates throughout his career.