Hagen Smith is on the fast track to the major leagues after being drafted at No. 5 overall from Arkansas just over a month ago.
Newly minted as a consensus top-50 prospect, the left-handed hurled three scoreless innings in his professional debut Saturday night.
Pitching for the Winston-Salem Dash, the High-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Smith needed just 38 pitches despite having to work around some traffic. He got out of a second-and-third, one-out situation unscathed and finished his outing with four strikeouts and no walks.
According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, the plan for Smith moving forward is to start the next two Saturdays with the Dash and then reassess.
Based on research by Best of Arkansas Sports, he is the first Razorback pitcher in at least the last six years to make his debut in High-A during the same season he was drafted.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of how Hagen Smith’s predecessors did in their debuts, let’s look at how recent pro Hogs have done overall in the minors:
Isaiah Campbell
Campbell had quite the future MLB star waiting for him in the opposing starting lineup, and he actually got the better of unanimous 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, striking him out.
He made just five appearances with a 2.33 ERA before his first season was cut short due to an elbow injury that required surgery. Campbell is now back in Triple-A with the Red Sox after spending parts of two seasons in the big leagues in both Seattle and Boston.
Blaine Knight
When it comes to a debut, Knight might have the oddest stat line out of the entire group. Hitters went 5-for-10 in just 1.1 innings of work, but he got some help with a double play and an out on the bases.
In his first full season in the minors, Knight posted a 4.81 ERA across two levels. His 1-12 record with the High-A Fredrick Keys is a jump scare, especially after he finished his last year at Arkansas with an unblemished 14-0 record, setting the school record for most wins in a season. A pitcher’s record doesn’t mean what it once did, but to accumulate 12 losses in just 18 appearances takes some doing. He is now with the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies after not pitching in 2023.
Kevin Kopps
Kopps’ starting point compared to Smith is probably the best example of how teams will fast-track players with elite stuff. Kopps was arguably even more dominant in his final season as a Hog but was sent to rookie ball. He pitched a clean inning and struck out the side in his debut. However, he moved up the ladder very quickly, ending his first season in Double-A San Antonio.
He posted a stunning 0.61 ERA across three different levels in 14 appearances in his first year. Things have been less rosy of late. In 32 appearances for Triple-A El Paso this year, Kopps has a 6.59 ERA, although that could be partly attributed to the Pacific Coast League, notoriously one of the toughest leagues for pitchers.
Patrick Wickander
Similar to Kopps, Wicklander started out in rookie ball the same year he was drafted. He worked out of some trouble in his debut and had to face one of the premier draft prospects of his class, No. 4 overall pick Marcelo Mayer of the Red Sox, who is now the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB.com.
He had a near-perfect start in rookie ball, allowing just eight hits in 11 1/3 scoreless innings. Wicklander had made it as high as Triple-A for the first time this year, but was recently released from affiliated baseball. He is now pitching in Kalispell, Mont., for the Glacier Range Riders, an independent team in the Pioneer League.
Connor Noland
Perhaps the most dominating stat line on this sheet, Noland’s debut reads more like a Hagen Smith 2024 Arkansas start than any with first pro baseball appearance nerves, striking out seven in just four innings of work.
Noland has shot through every level of the minors with flying colors. In time split between Double-A and Triple-A, the Greenwood native has maintained an ERA of 2.55 across 21 appearances.
Lael Lockhart
He only made one appearance in rookie ball before getting called up to High-A, but Lockhart finished his first year with a 3.95 ERA across 10 appearances. He’s been up and down quite a bit, getting as far as Triple-A, but has yet to find his footing there this year. In 16 appearances, he has a 6.21 ERA.
Jaxon Wiggins
Perhaps the greatest what-if for Razorback fans since the turn of the decade, Wiggins finally made his debut earlier this year after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s settled in well, and currently sits in High-A with a 4.66 ERA in 15 appearances.
Peyton Pallette
Hagen Smith missed being reunited with his college teammate by less than a week, as Palette had been with the Dash until Tuesday before being promoted to Double-A for the first time. Palette pitched two innings in his debut with a fellow Razorback on his team, Chris Lanzilli, who recently retired from pro baseball.
Pro Debut of Former Arkansas Pitchers
Hagen Smith had one of the better professional debuts by a former Arkansas pitcher in recent years Saturday. Here’s a side-by-side comparison with other notable Pro Hogs:
| Pitcher | Date | MiLB Team/Level | MLB Affiliate | IP | H | R/ER | BB/K | Notable MLB Players/Prospects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagen Smith | 8/24/2024 | Winston-Salem Dash/High A | Chicago White Sox | 3.0 | 2 | 0/0 | 0/4 | N/A |
| Blaine Knight | 8/10/2018 | Aberdeen Ironbirds/Low A | Baltimore Orioles | 1.1 | 5 | 1/1 | 1/1 | Jonah Bride (Marlins) 2-for-2 double, single |
| Isaiah Campbell* | 5/09/2021 | Everett Aquasox/High A | Seattle Mariners | 4.0 | 2 | 1/0 | 2/4 | Corbin Carroll (D-backs) 0-for-1, K, BB |
| Kevin Kopps | 8/2/2021 | ACL Padres/Rookie | San Diego Padres | 1.0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/3 | Kyren Paris (Angels) 0-for-1, K |
| Patrick Wicklander | 8/10/2021 | FCL Rays/Rookie | Tampa Bay Rays | 1.0 | 3 | 0/0 | 0/2 | Niko Kavadas (Angels) 0-1, K Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox/MiLB) 1-1 |
| Connor Noland** | 4/11/2023 | South Bend Cubs/High A | Chicago Cubs | 4.0 | 1 | 1/1 | 0/7 | N/A |
| Lael Lockhart | 8/16/2021 | ACL Dodgers/Rookie | LA Dodgers | 1.0 | 2 | 1/1 | 0/2 | Rece Hinds (Cincinnati Reds) 1-1, 2B, RBI |
| Jaxon Wiggins*** | 5/10/2024 | Chicago Cubs/Rookie | Chicago Cubs | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | N/A |
| Peyton Pallete**** | 4/07/2023 | Kannapolis Cannon Ballers/Low A | Chicago White Sox | 2.0 | 2 | 3/1 | 1/3 | Chris Lanzilli (Teammate) |
*Drafted in 2019, Minor league season was canceled in 2020 due to Covid
**Drafted in 2022, did not make a debut until the following season
*** Drafted in 2023, did not make debut until 2024, recovering from Tommy John Surgery
****Drafted in 2022, did not make debut until the following season
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More coverage of Arkansas baseball and Pro Hogs from BoAS…
