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Former Arkansas Star Receives Exciting News from Chicago

Sensational southpaw gets invitation to report to White Sox spring training camp

Bob Stephens

Hagen Smith was Pitcher of the Year nationally and in the SEC last season. He was the No. 5 pick in the MLB draft.
Hagen Smith was Pitcher of the Year nationally and in the SEC last season. He was the No. 5 pick in the MLB draft. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK
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One of the best players in the rich history of Arkansas baseball is taking another step toward what will likely be a long career in Major League Baseball. It doesn't mean he'll make the All-Star team this season but it does show how highly regarded he is as a rising star.

Hagen Smith anchored the Razorbacks' pitching staff the last few seasons and earned national Pitcher of the Year honors. That elite potential has earned him an invitation to the Chicago White Sox training camp.

Smith will report with pitchers and catchers on Feb. 12 to the Sox camp in Phoenix, Ariz. The first full squad workout is Feb. 17. Being invited to the big league camp was not entirely unexpected as Smith is the No. 2 prospect for the White Sox.

“It’s awesome,” said Smith of going to Major League camp during a SoxFest Live interview. “Being around all those guys, and picking their brains a little bit, it will be really cool.”

Smith enjoyed a sensational junior season with Arkansas, which included an NCAA record 17.25 strikeouts per nine innings thanks to an eye-popping 161 strikeouts in 84 innings. He had a 9-2 record with a 2.04 ERA (fourth in the country) and 0.89 WHIP (seventh best). His ERA and WHIP were inflated by the season opener when he pitched only one inning in miserable cold weather and allowed three runs on a hit and two walks.

Smith is the No. 2 ranked left-handed prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The only southpaw listed ahead of him is Noah Schultz, his White Sox teammate who was drafted No. 26 overall out of high school in the 2022 draft.

He was drafted No. 5 overall and signed for $8 million last July, a record for southpaws that topped Brendan McKay's $7 million with Tampa Bay in 2017. Smith's bonus bested the Arkansas record of $5.2 million Heston Kjerstad got from the Baltimore Orioles in 2020.

Always hard to say about top prospects, but Smith will likely open his season with High-A Winston-Salem, where he reported last summer and pitched only 7.2 innings in three starts as the Sox took special care of their prize draft pick

If he blows away hitters in spring training , it's possible Smith could open with the White Sox Double-A team in Birmingham, Ala. More likely is that he'll start in Winston-Salem and be promoted to Birmingham after a handful of starts or less, provided he's healthy and flashing his usual form.

Check back with Arkansas Razorbacks on SI for updates on Smith throughout the season. Read more here about the sensational southpaw making history.

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

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