The White Sox started off the season much better than many expected, as they were in basically every single game with a chance to win them. However, that hasn’t been the case as of late, as the White Sox have lost six in a row.
For the first few games, the starting pitching was phenomenal, as the White Sox starters went 20+ innings without giving up a run. That hasn’t been the case as of late, as the second time around for the first four starters didn’t go like it did the first time. While the rotation has hit a skid in the major leagues, that isn’t the case in the minors, as the White Sox just had a dominant debut from one of their highest ranked prospects.
When the White Sox drafted Hagen Smith with the 5th overall pick in last year’s draft, he was able to get a few innings in high-A Winston-Salem, looking very solid in that short stint. In Spring Training, Smith followed it up with two very solid starts before having a rough go at it in his last few innings of the spring.
Now, in 2025, Smith was promoted to AA Birmingham with just 7.2 innings of minor league experience under his belt, and he did not disappoint.
In Smith’s AA debut he was absolutely dominant. Smith threw four hitless innings striking out 10 batters and walking four. Due to the walks, he allowed a run to score, but besides that, he was in control.
#WhiteSox No. 3 prospect Hagen Smith struck out 10 and did not yield a hit over four frames in his Double-A debut on Saturday.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/5B0iz9DI1y
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 8, 2025
While there were more walks than you’d like to see out of Smith, this is the type of dominance that you want out of your first round draft pick. It is still very early in the season, so he will likely cut down on the walks as the season goes on.
Since Smith was so dominant in his last year of college, he could be on the fast track to the major leagues. If Smith continues to strike batters out at this rate while giving up very little contact, he could make his debut this season.
Smith likely has the highest floor out of any pitching prospect in the minor leagues and should anchor the White Sox rotation for years to come.
