Jump to content

2024 Official Draft Thread - Day 1


Recommended Posts

Here's Law on the Smith selection.

Quote

The Chicago White Sox drafted LHP Hagen Smith with the No. 5 pick.

Smith has improved every year at Arkansas, coming out very hot to start this year with a 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State in Week 2, after which he probably could have just taken the rest of the spring off and still gone in the top-10 picks. He’s 92-97 mph with a plus slider that he uses to left- and right-handed batters alike, with a changeup exclusively for right-handed batters. Because he starts on the extreme first-base side of the rubber, he doesn’t locate the fastball to his glove side and has to go to the slider to throw anything inside to righties, often trying to get a chase on a slider aimed at the hitter’s back foot, with the fastball and the changeup both going to the outer third of the zone.

It’s a funky delivery that he doesn’t hold together deep into his starts, and teams will be scrutinizing his mechanics even more closely because he’s already had one Tommy John surgery, back in high school. He takes a huge stride towards the plate to generate all that power, starting his arm late and then accelerating it very quickly, with a low three-quarters slot and arm path that have earned him some comparisons to Chris Sale. That’s a dream scenario, of course, as Sale improved the moment he got into the White Sox’s system and then threw about 1,000 innings before arm trouble began to hold him back. Smith has No. 2 starter upside if he can hold his stuff deeper into outings, and perhaps if he moves towards the middle of the rubber so he can work to both sides of the plate.

Quote

The White Sox take Hagen Smith, the top lefty in the draft class and an advanced starter whose 17-strikeout game against Oregon State in February had scouts saying it was one of the best pitching performances they had ever witnessed.

He offers the White Sox a little of both worlds — he could get to the majors very quickly as an SEC product with now stuff, but they didn't leave anything on the table by taking him as he was miles ahead of the next pitcher still on the board.

 

Edited by DirtySox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

So much more excited for Hagen Smith than any of the hitters that were there.  The White Sox develop pitching well.  Play into it.  Besides wonder if the Sox get some decent cap savings here, but also wonder if they think they are going to be able to get some hitting in here with the trade offers they have seen so far?

Exact opposite. Sox aren't in a position to draft to development strength over org needs. Would have liked any of the three position players there.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, mac9001 said:

I feel like Smith's floor in starting in the bigs. Which I think I'd prefer over Cags floor which is hitting .150 with a 40% k-rate in AAA 

Short of his arm blowing up, I feel the same way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Exact opposite. Sox aren't in a position to draft to development strength over org needs. Would have liked any of the three position players there.

Sure, we want more position players, but do you trust the Sox to play into the weaknesses of any of those kids?  Can they get less swing and miss out of their guys?  Can they keep hamstrings healthy?  Can the develop a really raw high school kid who didn't see real competition? 

I trust them way more to turn Hagen Smith into a really good major league starting pitcher than I trust them to develop anyone with those flaws into a really good major league hitter.

  • Like 4
  • Love 2
  • Fire 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, SoCalChiSox said:

Jimmy said people don't want to trade their position prospects tho 

 

yeah but i think last minute desperation will probably kick in, Dodgers entire rotation is more/less hurt right now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, SoCalChiSox said:

Fucking idiot. 

You better get Kjerstad now.

And I don't want to hear excuses about how Elias doesn't want to give him up.

The deadline better be ALL about bats. 

I have zero faith in the Sox ability to scout and develop hitting, so I’m not upset with the pick of a pitcher. But I 100% agree that acquiring hitting must be a focus in later rounds and at the deadline. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...