The White Sox have not given fans much excitement this season, so fans are looking forward to the future, as the White Sox have plenty of talented prospects in the pipeline that should be making an impact in Chicago shortly.
However, the White Sox have a golden opportunity to add to that talented pipeline, as they hold the 5th pick in the upcoming MLB draft. This gives them the opportunity to add another high-impact prospect to their system. Most of the time, the players picked in the top five picks are added to the top-100 list, which can help bolster the White Sox system.
The White Sox will need to capitalize on this top pick, as no matter how bad they do this year, the best they can pick in the 2025 draft will be 10th overall. But luckily for the White Sox, there is a good shot at a game changing prospect, as there are some elite players at the top of the draft.
One of the biggest risers in the draft process so far is Hagen Smith who fans might not be familiar with, but they should be soon.
This year, his junior year, has been fantastic. So far in 60 innings, he is 8-0 with an impressive 1.35 ERA. He also has a stellar .817 WHIP, which ranks him as one of the best starting pitchers in all of college baseball. In the 60 innings, he struck out 111 batters, which is good for an impressive 16.7k/9 ratio.
Out of qualified pitchers in the country, Smith ranks second in ERA and fourth in WHIP. He may have passed up Chase Burns for the best pitcher in the country. MLB Pipeline is a fan, as they rank him as the number one pitcher in the draft class and have him ranked 6th overall.
This is what MLB Pipeline has to say about Smith:
“He has better stuff than any southpaw in this Draft and could be the first pitcher selected after finding more consistency this spring.
Smith operates at 94-97 mph and touches 100 with his fastball, which plays up because his funky delivery creates deception and riding action. His best offering is an 83-87 mph slider, which features sweep and depth while destroying lefties and keeping righties at bay, and he also can turn it into a cutter that reaches 91 mph. He uses an upper-80s splitter as a change of pace, and while he struggles to locate it well, it has intriguing tumble when it’s on.
Smith employs far from a textbook delivery, working from a low-three-quarters slot with some crossfire that makes it tough to pick up his pitches and also to throw strikes at times. He has improved his control and performance in 2024, highlighted by striking out 17 over six innings on just 78 pitches against Oregon State, with some evaluators calling it the most dominant game they ever had seen. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame built for durability and could become a frontline starter if he continues to harness his stuff.”
MLB Pipeline
He is a phenomenal talent and the White Sox would have a great start to the draft if they selected him at 5th overall. They need all the top line talent they can get, regardless of position. Since he is a highly accomplished pitcher, he could make his ways through the minor leagues very quick.
Smith is still just 20 years old and is an ascending prospect. He has gotten significantly better every year and he will be worth a top 5 pick in the draft. If the White Sox are serious about adding the best player available, Smith might be the best option.
