You don’t see this often nowadays but the White Sox turned the clock back on August 8. Tanner McDougal & Hagen Smith, both of whom are arguably the best starting pitcher prospects in the Chicago system, were promoted to the Majors. And the two, who worked as relievers over the last month, will look to fill out the club’s bullpen for the stretch run.
A Look at Smith
Part of what was a deep crop of college players in 2024, the White Sox selected then-Arkansas ace Hagen Smith with the fifth-overall pick. A dynamic pitcher and one of the top strikeout men in the country that season alongside Chase Burns of Wake Forest, Smith was a premium arm who profiled as, at the very least, a #2 starter.
For much of his pro career, Smith has, at times, looked like an elite pitcher. The 22-year-old lefty posted a monstrous 36% swing-and-miss rate last year in the Southern League, which ranked among the best in his class among starting pitchers. However, walks did Smith in, as he allowed 56 free passes across 75 innings.
This season with Charlotte, Smith walked 40 over 58 innings at Triple-A. Before Smith transitioned into a relief role in mid-July, he only made it through five innings in just one of his starts. Yes, Major League teams will often proceed with caution when handling high-end pitching prospects. And yes, a high swing-and-miss rate (34%) helped lessen the blow of that, somewhat.
But in many of his starts, walks and hits hurt him.
But when on, Smith is one of the nastiest pitching prospects in the Minors. A plus slider, one that’s a great pitch when he can bury it as a back-foot pitch against righties, or use it against lefties. That is one of four main pitches in his arsenal, along with a cutter, a changeup that isn’t used as often, and a low-to-mid-90s fastball.
Smith missed a month of the season on the injured list. When he returned, as somewhat expected, the velocity ticked up when Smith moved to a bullpen role. As a starter, he averaged around 94 MPH but he can top out at 97-98 MPH.
A Look at McDougal
Tanner McDougal was a fifth-round pick out of high school back in 2021 by the White Sox. He missed all of 2022 and, despite high strikeout numbers in A-ball in 2023 and 2024, had high walk totals and high ERA figures.
But last season, McDougal had a phenomenal campaign, as he struck out 136 over 113 innings between High-A and Double-A. Through 17 outings this season with Triple-A Charlotte, McDougal struck out 44 over 36 but also walked 21 batters. Opposing batters hit just .165 off him.
McDougal, a traditional starter, worked all of March & April in the Charlotte Knights’ rotation. But after a two-month stretch on the injured list, McDougal worked exclusively in one-inning stints. And despite seven walks over 11.2 IP in July, the right-hander struck out 15 batters during that month.
He put up gaudy swing-and-miss numbers last season, and McDougal, like Smith, profiles as a big swing-and-miss pitcher. Hard fastball with carrying action, coupled with a low-90s changeup, a big curveball that sat in the 78-80 MPH range, as well as a slider that sat in the mid-80s. His slider had a 55% Whiff% this season, while the curveball and changeup had 50+% Whiff% on them, as well.
As a starter, McDougal threw very hard, consistently sitting 98-99 MPH with several pitches above 100 MPH. There wasn’t a significant jump in velo once he transitioned into a bullpen role — but McDougal threw very hard to begin with.
Analysis
The plan, at least for now, is to have Smith and McDougal work in the White Sox’s bullpen. It’s been a grind to find consistent help there at times, thanks to some blowups by both Grant Taylor & now-Mariners reliever Seranthony Domínguez. Now, the club adds two potent arms, one an electric lefty who should make the most of his fastball/slider combo. Plus, a strong righty.
This — promoting starters to the Majors as relievers — is not new for the White Sox. Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet both debuted as relief pitchers. And at a time when the White Sox have a rotation that’s been mostly reliable this season, the two rookies have the chance to shine in a different way.
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