White Sox selected Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith with the No. 5 pick of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Smith was far from an unknown coming into the draft, but he certainly saw his stock rise after improving his ERA from 3.64 from the previous season to a 2.04 mark in 2024, and increasing his strikeouts from 109 to 161. The southpaw hurler has two pitches that have a chance to grade 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale in his fastball (93-96 mph and occasionally up to 100), and slider, and he’ll also show a decent splitter for good measure. A less-than-picturesque delivery creates deception, but also can create some command issues at times. Smith should be able to miss bats at the highest level, and he just might be the best pitching prospect in this draft.