Former Arkansas Ace Scheduled to Make Professional Debut

Hagen Smith on fast track, heads straight to high-A for White Sox just months after pitching for Razorbacks

Daniel Shi | Aug 19, 2024

Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Hagen Smith on the mound against Kansas State on Saturday night at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Former Arkansas ace Hagen Smith has been assigned to the Winston-Salem Dash, the High-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox to make his professional debut.

I am hearing that ‘24 1st rd selection Hagen Smith will be reporting to the Winston-Salem #Dash in Aberdeen this week. More details to come. #WhiteSox
— Ian Eskridge (@dailywhitesox) August 18, 2024

According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Smith is tentatively scheduled to pitch on Monday in Aberdeen, Maryland against the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Smith recently wrapped up his career in a Razorback uniform with a school record 354 strikeouts and became the 2024 College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year after breaking the NCAA single-season K/9 record (17.3).

The White Sox drafted him fifth overall and gave him an $8 million signing bonus, the largest for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history. There had been speculation amongst college coaches that he could make his MLB debut as early as this season if a contending team drafted him, but with the White Sox sitting with the worst record in the MLB at 30-95, Smith will now work his way up the minor-league ranks.

Smith was recently ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Chicago White Sox farm system and No. 32 overall by MLB.com.

However, it is notable that the White Sox opted to send Smith to High-A straight away instead of Low-A. Smith already has 233 innings under his belt across three seasons at Arkansas, many against SEC-caliber hitting.

He would likely be too advanced for the hitters. They generally go by up/downs + pitch count, so they don’t want him going 60 pitches and getting up 6 times. In A ball he might throw 25 pitches in 3 innings and then be done for the day.
— Ian Eskridge (@dailywhitesox) August 18, 2024