When the White Sox selected left-hander Hagen Smith with the fifth-overall pick in the 2024 draft, they anticipated adding a high-upside, quick rising prospect that could impact their big league rotation in short order. With top lefty Noah Schultz already in the system, the White Sox hoped they’d have a pair of impact starting pitchers to anchor their future rotation. Hagen Smith’s journey to the big leagues has been far from easy over the past two seasons, but he’s finally made the jump to Chicago, and he’s immediately shown exactly why the team drafted him so high.
After being drafted in 2024, Smith immediately reported to High-A Winston-Salem, where he made three starts down the stretch. Over 7.2 innings, Smith allowed three earned runs and struck out seven. It seemed like the White Sox were planning to start him at the same level in 2025, but they got aggressive, assigning him to Double-A Birmingham to begin 2025. His season was a bit of a roller coaster. Overall, he made 20 starts and posted a 3.57 ERA in 75.2 innings, but he walked 56 hitters over that span and missed several weeks with a shoulder injury. Smith pitched in the Arizona Fall League at the end of the season and looked better, so the team was hopeful he’d reign in his control for 2026.
Smith began this year with Triple-A Charlotte, throwing mostly shortened outings. His command was inconsistent. Some nights he’d look truly dominant and others he’d struggle to find the strike zone or have one inning that completely went off the rails. Another shoulder injury slowed down his season, and the White Sox moved Smith to a bullpen role upon his return. This was partially to save innings on his arm and partially to expedite his call-up to fill a need in the White Sox bullpen. Since his call-up, Smith has been nothing short of dominant in the big league bullpen.
Hagen Smith has been dominant in the White Sox bullpen so far
After firing three perfect innings with four strikeouts in Sunday’s win over Minnesota, Smith now has a 0.56 ERA in his first 16 big league innings. He’s struck out 23 hitters and held opponents to a .096 batting average against him. As expected, his control has been inconsistent, and he’s walked ten hitters over that span. Smith’s only earned run came when he allowed a walk-off home run to Pete Crow-Armstrong at Wrigley Field back in August. Outside of the slight control issues, Smith has been a dominant force from the left side in the bullpen.
Hagen Smith with 3 Clutch Ks. pic.twitter.com/fdgceFLeRS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 23, 2026
Smith’s early success has made the White Sox ask an interesting question. White Sox Director of Player Development Paul Janish indicated earlier this season that the plan is for Smith to report to spring training as a starting pitcher next season, so that at least answers the question about the team’s long-term plan. Smith being a starting pitcher would provide significantly more value, especially as high as he was drafted, but if he can never shore up the control as a starter, the past few weeks have shown that all hope is not lost. Much like Grant Taylor, Smith has the arsenal to be one of the best starters in baseball, but the White Sox may ultimately decide it’s not worth it, and he can be a dominant late-inning reliever instead.
I don’t know what the future holds for Hagen Smith and his long-term role in baseball, but the past few weeks have given fans a peek of how good he can be, and it’s provided proof of why he was drafted in the top five.
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