White Sox All-Star Shane Smith Enjoying ‘Pretty Wild’ Rookie Season

Shane Smith says it is “pretty wild” what has happened to his baseball career over the last eight months.

The right-hander was left unprotected by the Milwaukee Brewers for the Rule 5 Draft at the MLB Winter Meetings in December. The Chicago White Sox drafted Smith, paying the $100,000 draft fee on a pitcher only known by a handful of fans.

Rule 5 picks must spend the entire season on the drafting team’s roster or else be offered back to their previous organization for $50,000. Rarely do Rule 5 players make an immediate impact in the major leagues, and many fail to stick in the big leagues.

Shane Smith Makes All-Star Game History

Smith, though, made history this past Tuesday night. He became the first pitcher to ever appear in an All-Star Game in his first season after being a Rule 5 selection.

Pitching for the American League, Smith retired one of the two batters he faced in a game that the National League eventually won in a swing-off at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Smith admits he was a little nervous, not just because it was his first All-Star Game. It was also his first relief appearance of the year after making 18 starts in the first half of the season, going 3-7 with a 4.26 ERA.

“There’s definitely a different buzz to it, especially coming out of the bullpen,” Smith said. “It’s kind of like a quick phone call, you get some butterflies, and it’s like, you’ve got to warm up fast because you’re going to be in the game here in about eight or 10 minutes. You don’t have days’ notice, like you do when you’re making a start, so there are definitely more butterflies for that one than for a regular one. My heart was pumping.”

Smith became just the second player to appear in an All-Star Game in his first season following the Rule 5 Draft after Miami Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla in 2008. That bit of history was not lost on Smith while soaking in the All-Star festivities, including getting a chance to have long talks with AL Central rivals Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals’ Kris Bubic, and the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan.

Shane Smith Went Undrafted

It was heady stuff for a pitcher who went undrafted in 2021 after Tommy John elbow surgery ended his college career at Wake Forest. That he made it to the All-Star Game after the White Sox took a chance on him made Smith especially proud to represent the organization.

“I think it just shows when you get into pro ball, you think the team that you (signed) with is the team you’re going to debut with when you get to the major leagues, but, for me, it wasn’t the case,” Smith said. “I think anybody who’s in a similar position to me or what I was in, if you keep working and keep making sure you’re doing the right things, then good things can happen, whether it’s an All-Star Game or whatever. You still can get an opportunity, and the White Sox gave me that.

“I’m just really, really focusing on making sure to do everything the right way, whether it’s in the games or throwing bullpens between starts, training. I’m just trying to make sure I take my best foot forward.”

Extra Rest for Shane Smith

There has been concern that Smith is fatigued after pitching 86 2/3 innings so far this season after working 94 1/3 innings last year in the minor leagues. The 25-year-old is 0-4 with an 11.29 ERA in his previous five starts after going 3-3 with a 2.37 ERA in his first 13 starts.

Smith will get some built-in rest as he was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a sprained left ankle. He was hurt Thursday during an off-day workout at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park in advance of a three-game series between the White Sox and Pirates.

The White Sox were conservative with left-hander Garrett Crochet in the second half of last season when he never pitched more than four innings in any start. Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason and pitched for the AL in the All-Star Game.

“We’re going to take it one rotation cycle at a time as far as what it means for (the starting pitchers’) usage as far as what it means for our best chances to win a game, what it means for their long-term health,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “We’re just constantly evaluating those things. Everything is on the table when it comes to a potential solution.”

Regardless of how much Smith pitches the rest of the season, the White Sox have already received value from him.

“It kind of tells you how special Shane is, with his ability to come in here and get comfortable and perform like he has is incredible and says a lot about him as the person and the individual, and it says a lot about our organization,” Venable said of Shane Smith. “It’s a great story.”