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• White Sox's Shane Smith: Turns heads against Dodgers

  1D ago • By RotoWire

  Smith struck out five batters and walked none while allowing one hit over three innings in his Cactus League start against the Dodgers on Saturday. The first pick of the 2024 Rule 5 draft, Smith was left unprotected by Milwaukee but has impressed thus far in White Sox camp. The 24-year-old righty averaged 96.8 mph on his four-seam fastball (touching 98.4 mph) and threw the pitch 55 percent of the time Saturday. He mixed in his three secondary offerings, but it was Smith's fastball that shut down a stacked Dodgers lineup, including two Ks against Shohei Ohtani plus one apiece against Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. With Drew Thorpe (elbow) likely to open the year on the shelf, Smith could win the final spot in Chicago's rotation. He has certainly pitched well enough this spring (nine Ks, 0.75 WHIP in 6.2 innings) that the White Sox won't be returning Smith to the Brewers.

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• White Sox's Shane Smith: First pick of Rule 5 draft

  12/11/2024 • By RotoWire

  The White Sox selected Smith with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports. Smith has a chance to be a viable rotation option for the White Sox as early as this season, and he'll need to be kept on the big-league roster (or injured list) all season, otherwise the White Sox would have to return him to the Brewers. Smith, who has a 93-mph fastball and throws a pair of breaking balls, logged 94.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, with all his work as a starter (16 starts) coming at Double-A. He logged a 2.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings as a starter, and also struck out 39 in 27.1 innings as a reliever. Smith may be eased into his big-league career as a low-leverage multi-inning reliever, but he could also get some starts in the first half.

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• Brewers' Shane Smith: Working out of Triple-A bullpen

  09/19/2024 • By RotoWire

  Smith was promoted from Double-A Biloxi to Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 3. Smith, a 6-foot-4 righty, opened the year pitching in short stints at Double-A before getting stretched out and having success as a starter (2.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 74:22 K:BB in 67 IP). He's finishing the year back in a relief role after getting the bump to Nashville. The Brewers signed Smith as an undrafted free agent in 2021 after he had just undergone Tommy John surgery, as the hurler opted to rehab with professional coaches rather than stay at Wake Forest. His 93.1 innings this year are the most he has thrown in any season on record, so the decision to sign with Milwaukee seems to have paid off. Smith, who works with a running four-seamer at the top of the zone and a wicked slider, is positioned to be a rotation option for the big club next summer.

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