One of the Chicago White Sox’s top pitching prospects heading into the 2026 season is expected to play a major part in the team’s first playoff appearance since 2021.
Left-hander Hagen Smith, Chicago’s No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline for 2025, was named the White Sox’s starting pitcher for the first game of their Wild Card matchup with the Houston Astros on Tuesday. This most likely won’t be a traditional start for the 23-year-old, however. The southpaw has been used as a reliever in his first stint in the majors, and he hasn’t thrown more than three innings in an outing since the White Sox called him up in August.
As Chicago’s starter in a bullpen game on Tuesday, Smith will be tasked with quieting the bats at the top of Houston’s lineup, including American League MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez. But based on how the 2024 first-round draft pick has pitched in the majors so far, he should be up for the challenge.
Hagen Smith has been lights out so far in the big leagues
Simply put, Smith has posted impressive numbers in his first stint in the majors. The 23-year-old had a 1.29 ERA in 18 games with the White Sox this year, racking up 41 strikeouts in 28 innings. The 6-foot-3 lefty gave up just four earned runs for Chicago, turning in 15 scoreless appearances, including his MLB debut in August.
Smith began the 2026 season with Triple-A Charlotte, producing a 4.32 ERA in 20 games and striking out 87 batters in 58 1/3 innings. The young hurler opened the year in the Charlotte Knights’ rotation, starting 14 games before being sidelined by a left shoulder impingement in June. When he returned in July, the White Sox had the southpaw pitch in relief, which set the stage for his eventual promotion to Chicago’s bullpen.
Less than two months after his MLB debut, Smith is now an essential piece of the White Sox’s pitching staff going into their first playoff appearance in five seasons. While the left-hander is starting for Chicago on Tuesday, he could also come out of the bullpen in a later game of this best-of-three series. For now, though, the highly touted hurler will focus on putting up zeros to kick off the White Sox’s Wild Card showdown with the Astros.
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