Hagen Smith has not been impressive during his first full season in the minor leagues.
That's not a good look for the Chicago White Sox after they passed on some impressive hitting prospects to take the left-handed pitcher with the No. 5 overall pick in last year's draft.
Smith's struggles are reminiscent of Carson Fulmer, another first-round draft choice by the White Sox that was thought to be a fast-rising college arm last decade.
Lots of positives with #WhiteSox right now but Hagen Smith’s struggles are a massive disappointment. I’m getting Carson Fulmer vibes and they passed on premium hitting talent to take him as a fast moving college arm. Brian Bannister has a project on his hands.
— James Fox (@JamesFox917) August 24, 2025
Fulmer was the highly regarded pitching prospect out of Vanderbilt that the team took with the No. 8 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Fulmer posted a career 6.56 ERA and 1.63 WHIP during four unremarkable seasons with the White Sox. He has been a journeyman reliever ever since the organization decided to move on from him after the 2019 season.
Drafting Fulmer eighth overall is bad enough, but it looks even worse with Ian Happ going one pick later to the Chicago Cubs, and Josh Naylor drafted a few spots after.
Happ has gone on to be an All-Star outfielder for the Cubs while Naylor has tortured Sox pitching with a career .353 average against Chicago.
The White Sox could now be facing a similar fate of passing on some potential great bats to take a pitcher from an SEC school. While there's a lot to be excited about right now, that's still a big red flag. If this iteration of the rebuild is going to work out better than last time, the club must have a better hit rate on first-round picks.
The White Sox passed on some special hitters to draft Hagen Smith
Given the hitters the team was tied to that they passed on, the White Sox need Hagen Smith to be special...and he just hasn't been.
Konnor Griffin is considered the top prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. Many Sox fans wanted Griffin to be Chicago's target with the No. 5 overall pick. It should have be White Sox fans who get to dream about the 19-year-old outfielder being a future All-Star.
Instead, the Pittsburgh Pirates are reaping the rewards of the Sox passing on him. Griffin has an average well over .300, an OPS over .900, 16 home runs, and 63 stolen bases between stints at Low-A, High-A, and Double-A.
J.J. Weatherholt was another infield prospect the White Sox were rumored to be interested in drafting No. 5. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him two picks later, and he is now considered the No. 6 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.
Weatherholt has an OPS over 1.000 at Triple-A. He almost has 20 home runs between stints at Double-A and Triple-A ball this season.
Imagine the White Sox having an infield of Colson Montgomery, J.J. Weatherholt, Miguel Vargas, and Lenyn Sosa crushing the ball with Billy Carlson and Caleb Bonemer on the way. I know that I would love seeing those four producing big-time offense on a nightly basis.
Jac Caglianone was another slugger the White Sox could have taken instead of Smith. He went a pick later to the division rival Kansas City Royals. Caglianone tore through the minors and is already in the big leagues.
Instead, the White Sox are stuck with a pitcher who is struggling with his command.
Hagen Smith's struggles in 2025
Smith has issued 13 walks over his past five outings, including five walks on Sunday. He has 25 walks to 45 strikeouts over his past 10 starts.
His ERA has ballooned from 1.98 on June 28 to 3.88 after his most recent start. Smith has a 4.58 ERA in August with a 1.53 WHIP. Things could be worse, but that is just not good enough given what the White Sox passed up on.
Smith also had to be sent to the team's Spring Training facility to work on his mechanics and rest a sore elbow.
Earlier this season, Smith was a top 35 prospect in baseball. He's now the No. 91 in MLB Pipeline's recent rankings and at risk of falling off the list. Smith also dropped out of MLB Pipeline's Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects after being considered the third best for almost a year.
Smith is the No. 5 prospect in the White Sox organization. He was jumped by fellow 2024 draftee Caleb Bonemer and recent first-rounder Billy Carlson.
I know I am holding Smith to a high standard. But the Sox had the opportunity to add a high-ceiling hitting prospect that the organization needed. Therefore, Smith needs to be an elite arm.
We should be comparing him to Chris Sale or Garrett Crochet right now. Instead, Smith is flirting with suffering the same fate as Carson Fulmer.