White Sox Target Future With Savvy Rule 5 Draft Pick

In other news, the Rule 5 draft happened today, and the White Sox had the first pick. While the Rule 5 draft is not the most popular event of the baseball offseason, it allows teams to potentially find a diamond in the rough, as there have been significant Rule 5 draft picks over the years.

For those who aren’t familiar, this is how Johnathan Mayo of MLB.com explains what the Rule 5 draft is:

Players who turned pro at age 18 or younger in 2020 or at age 19 or older in 2021 were eligible for selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft if he wasn’t on a 40-man roster. Clubs who took a player in that phase must pay his former team $100,000 and keep him on their active big league roster throughout the following season. The player can’t be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers and then getting offered back to his original organization for half his draft price.

Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com

Last year, the White Sox selected Shane Drohan, a left handed starting pitcher from the Boston Red Sox, but he was injured in Spring Training. This led to the White Sox returning Drohan back to the Red Sox. The most recent White Sox Rule 5 selection that had some success was Dylan Covey.

However, the White Sox may have found a player that will be better than Covey, as they selected Shane Smith with the first overall pick.

Smith is a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system and has been both a starter and a reliever for them.

With the first pick in the Rule 5 draft, the #WhiteSox select Shane Smith, #Brewers. 6'4, 24yo. Started in half his appearances in 2024. Mid 90's FB, Cutter, SL, 80MPH CB. Elite extension of 7'. Had a 2.69 ERA & 1.05 WHIP in 2024 across 2 levels (AA/AAA). 113K to 29BB. The video… pic.twitter.com/uj8VAoVUgY

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) December 11, 2024

Last year Smith made it all the way to AAA, but spent most of the year in AA. In 94.1 innings, Smith had a 3.05 ERA and a fantastic 1.05 WHIP. Hitters didn’t fare too well against him either, as he had a .205 batting average against.

Additionally, he had 113 strikeouts to just 29 walks, which is a phenomenal ratio. The White Sox need more pitchers who can pound the strike zone and Smith fits that bill.

Chris Clegg gives a good breakdown of Smith here:

Spoiler Alert! Shane Smith of the Brewers will be the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Super intriguing arm that could fit several roles for the White Sox. Here was my report on him this offseason. Ranked 27th for me in a DEEP Brewers system. https://t.co/HgmYckYlMv pic.twitter.com/GsPs5GzL2l

— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) December 11, 2024

It is likely that Smith will start out in the White Sox bullpen. He can fill the role of a long reliever, as has been stretched out for a few innings at a time in the minor leagues. This is a great pick and there is some upside here.

If Smith can stick around as a valuable bullpen piece for a few years, this will be a very successful pick, as anytime you can get a contributor out of a Rule 5 pick, it is a win. Smith will have some good mentorship, as Brian Bannister and Ethan Katz did a great job working with the younger arms in the White Sox system last year.