Former Arkansas ace Hagen Smith looked a lot like he did in a Razorback uniform during his debut Saturday for the Birmingham Barons — the Double A minor league affiliate for the Chicago White Sox.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft, Smith earned the start and he tossed 4.0 hitless innings while allowing one earned run with four walks and 10 strikeouts against the Knoxville Smokies, which is the Double A affiliate for the Chicago Cubs.
Rated as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 2 pitcher in the White Sox farm system, Smith tossed 43 of his 73 total pitches for strikes and he struck out six consecutive batters to finish his outing.
The 2024 SEC Pitcher of the Year, Smith is rated as the No. 32 overall prospect and the No. 2 overall left-handed pitcher prospect in Major League Baseball right now. It would be cool to see him make his way to Chicago's big league squad, which currently features former Razorback Andrew Benintendi.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz told 670 The Score in Chicago back in January that both Hagen Smith and fellow left-handed pitcher Noah Shultz, the White Sox's top prospect, could be closer to reaching the majors than some think.
“I don’t think we’re that far off of watching Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith at the front of a rotation for the White Sox,” Getz said. “I think it’s in the very near future.”
Smith finished his career with the Razorbacks as the program's all-time career strikeout leader (360), a feat he accomplished in just three seasons. He posted a 2.04 ERA with a program record 161 strikeouts in 84.0 innings as a junior in 2024. He was a unanimous first team All-American and one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.
