White Sox rookie pitcher Shane Smith is headed for a historic milestone

Chicago White Sox rookie Shane Smith has been overlooked for his entire professional career.

From going undrafted out of Wake Forest, to being left unprotected and vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft this past December by the Milwaukee Brewers, Smith has had his fair share of teams pass on him.

The White Sox saw something they liked in Smith, and it’s paying off in a big way so far in 2025. The 25-year-old hurler has been on a remarkable run to begin his Major League career, and if he keeps it up, he could be on his way to a historic achievement. 

History of the Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 draft has been around, in some form, for over a century (1892). The goal is to incentivize teams to add their prospects to the 40-man roster and prevent players from being stashed in the minor leagues for too long.

At a certain point in each offseason, teams have a deadline to add eligible players to the 40-man, or they risk them being selected by another team.

According to the official definition as laid out by MLB.com, "players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons." (MLB.com)

When a player is selected in the Rule 5 draft, they have to be kept on the big league roster of the team that selected them for the entirety of the ensuing MLB season. If they are not kept in the big leagues, they''ll be offered back to their original team. That happens more often than you'd think.

White Sox select Shane Smith

Despite not being allowed to have the top pick in the upcoming amateur draft, being the worst team in the league in 2024 afforded the White Sox an opportunity to have their pick of the litter. The Sox had the first overall selection in the Rule 5 Draft back in December and elected to go with right-handed pitcher Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Smith, who turned 25 shortly after the regular season began, was signed by the Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2021 after multiple injuries severely limited his innings at Wake Forest.

Smith quickly impressed in the minor leagues with his stuff, though he worked solely as a reliever until 2024. He threw a career-high 94 innings and started in half of his 32 appearances that season. Smith carried an impressive 2.69 career ERA over three minor-league seasons. Many evaluators, though they liked his stuff, viewed him as a reliever long-term due to a limited pitch arsenal.

Smith's historic start to 2025

After being selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5, Smith showed up to Spring Training armed with a new changeup. The White Sox gave him the opportunity to compete for a rotation spot and Smith very quickly opened eyes at White Sox camp. By the end of the spring, Smith had pitched his way onto the roster and into the rotation.

Smith has quickly endeared himself to Sox fans in the weeks since. Through 8 starts in 2025, Smith leads the White Sox rotation with a 2.08 ERA and a 3.05 FIP. He leads all players on the White Sox in fWAR, and has allowed a total of 10 earned runs in his 8 starts. He is a Top 10 pitcher in baseball in ERA (t-8th), and he is a Top 20 pitcher in the American League in both WHIP (17th) and batting average against (11th).

Smith's new changeup has been one of the most dominant pitches in the league. Pitching deep into games is still a work in progress, but that's somewhat expected considering this is his first real experience as a starter. 

Now over 40 games into the season, it's natural to speculate on who the All-Star representatives from each team could be. Shane Smith is the clear early favorite for the White Sox.

A Rule 5 pick making the All-Star Game is not unheard of. MLB All-Stars Johan Santana, Willy Taveras, Shane Victorino, and R.A. Dickey were all selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Josh Hamilton was a Rule 5 pick by the Cincinnati Reds, and later went on to win an MVP with the Texas Rangers.

But an All-Star appearance as a rookie after being left unprotected and selected in the Rule 5 Draft? That would put Shane Smith in some historic company. 

Since 1892, only one player has ever made the All-Star Game the same year they were selected in the Rule 5 Draft. That distinction belongs to infielder Dan Uggla, who was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 2005 MLB Rule V Draft and went on to hit 27 homers and put up a 112 OPS+ in his rookie season (2006). Uggla retired in 2015 as a 3-time All-Star with 18.4 career bWAR.

If Shane Smith is named to the "Midsummer Classic" for the White Sox, he would become just the second Rule 5 rookie to accomplish this feat and the first pitcher to ever do it. 

Whether Smith gets the historic nod or not, it’s safe to say the White Sox struck gold in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. I’m sure that the Brewers would love a do-over. Smith’s career impact on the future of the White Sox remains to be seen, but Chicago currently has one of the best young starting pitchers in the game on a team-friendly contract, and that’s a massive win for the organization.