HawgBeat - Hagen Smith projected as first-rounder ahead of junior season
Arkansas fans shouldn't expect to see Hagen Smith for longer than one more season in Fayetteville.
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It is extremely unlikely that Arkansas left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith stays in Fayetteville after the 2024 season, as the hard-throwing junior is commonly being projected to go in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
A native of Bullard, Texas, Smith was a D1Baseball Second Team All-American and a First Team All-SEC starting pitcher in 2023. He made 18 appearances with 11 starts on the mound in 2023, when he earned an 8-2 record, 3.64 ERA, a team-leading 109 strikeouts and two saves in 71.2 innings of work. He held opposing hitters to a .217 batting average on the year.
While Smith spent last year in what became known as the "wild card" role, he projects to be Arkansas' ace in 2024.
"I'd say he's a for sure starter, unless he came up to me and said 'Coach, I really want to come out of the pen,' and it's slim to none that anybody ever says that," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said June 27. "I think he's a starter. He's been through it. He's done everything - middle relief, close, start. He's still really young. He'll be 20 all next year and be 20 at the draft.
"We saw a jump from him physically this past year. We'll see another jump in him where he's going to really, in our opinion, come into the man strength, so to speak. Mature, great kid, great worker. Love him. You know, he cares. He really cares, and I think he's going to be a superstar."
Going into the season as the projected ace for Arkansas did not bode well for the past two who had those honors. Prior to the 2021 season, right-hander Peyton Pallette suffered a torn UCL and righty Jaxon Wiggins had the same fate before the 2022 season.
Both Pallette and Wiggins were still second round draft selections without throwing a pitch in their "final" season with the Hogs. Not only is Smith trying to get in the first round club, but he's playing with something to prove after the Hogs won the SEC in the regular season last year, but had their season end in the Fayetteville Regional against TCU.
"He didn’t like the way the season ended last year," Van Horn said Nov. 30. "The kid’s a winner. If the game is on the line, he’s the guy I want on the mound."
Smith threw during a live intrasquad scrimmage in the fall just once, but he was touching triple digits in bullpens.
"He’s always had good velocity," Van Horn said. "If he was just our closer, and all he did was pitch the eighth or ninth inning, he’s going to go 97-to-100 pretty much all the time. We’d like him to pitch at 93-to-96. He has developed a pitch or two. I won’t give away too many details, but his arsenal has improved. Leadership qualities. Work ethic."
MLB Pipeline has Smith projected to go 12th overall to the Boston Red Sox in next summer's draft. The hard work, paired with the natural tools will make Smith a near can't-miss prospect.
"Hagen Smith is probably one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around," Van Horn said. "He’s super young for his class. He will only be 20 years old at the draft, and he will be three years in college. He really worked hard on his body. He had a great strong physique, but now he’s super strong. He’s out on some really good weight. We rested him."
Not only is Smith a proven winner, but he's a leader. His teammates agreed by nearly unanimously voting him as a captain.
"I mean, I don’t know if I’ve ever had one player get so many votes," Van Horn said. "I mean it was almost unanimous. Forty-something guys. Super excited about him."
A recent USA Today mock draft had Smith going 9th overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Future Star Series has him projected as the 13th pick to the San Francisco Giants.
The Diamond Hogs will start back up with scrimmages in January ahead of the start of the 2024 season in February. Opening Day will be Friday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. CT against Jame Madison
