White Sox first-rounder Hagen Smith finishes season with dominant and clutch start

After a bullpen collapse led to an 8-6 loss in the opening game of the Southern League playoffs, the Birmingham Barons were up against the ropes on Thursday night.

The White Sox Double-A affiliate finished the regular season with the best record in the league and a dominant pitching staff, but they found themselves just one loss away from being eliminated short of the championship series.

Tanner McDougal started the first playoff game for the Barons on Tuesday, and Lucas Gordon had thrown in the regular season finale on Sunday. That left manager Guillermo Quiroz with a tough choice for who to give the ball to for an elimination game against Chattanooga.

2024 first-round draft pick Hagen Smith, who is the No. 5 prospect in the White Sox organization, got the start and delivered a ridiculously clutch outing.

Hagen Smith tosses five no-hit innings

Smith did five no-hit innings against the Lookouts, walking only two and striking out 10 batters. He left the game with a 4–0 lead, and that held to be the final score. Smith earned the win and the Barons' pitching staff did not give up a hit until the ninth inning.

There were some highs and lows for Smith during his first full professional season in 2025. He dealt with injuries and mechanical adjustments throughout the year, and was not as dominant as the White Sox would have liked him to be at times.

Even though he occasionally gave up runs and rarely got deep into starts, Hagen Smith definitely showed that he can overpower hitters. Including the regular season and his postseason start, Smith has 118 strikeouts in 80.2 innings pitched this season (13.2 K/9).

That’s the stuff of a future ace that got Smith drafted 5th overall by the White Sox. Watching him put the team on his back in a must-win playoff game gave me a lot more confidence in Smith as a prospect.

When you draft a starting pitcher in the top five – and pass on the future No. 1 prospect in baseball – you don’t want them to just be in the future starting rotation. You want them to be a frontline, “big game starter" that can anchor your rotation. Every World Series team has one.

Smith has a lot to clean up before he reaches that level, but there should be no doubt that his ceiling is still sky high.

A winner take all Game 3 between the Barons and Lookouts will take place on Friday night from Chattanooga. The winner will advance to the Southern League championship series.

If Birmingham wins, we may even get to see another playoff start from the former first-round pick.