THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
High School  | General | 11/4/2019

Smith rehabs, remains upbeat

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Hagen Smith (Perfect Game)

High School Class of 2021 Player Rankings | Rankings Risers: Class of 2021

It became glaringly obvious not long into the outing that something wasn’t quite right with the tall Texas left-hander out of Bullard High School.

Just a little over a week shy of his 16th birthday, Hagen Smith was struggling. He was pitching at the Area Code Baseball Underclass Games in Compton, Calif., the second weekend of August and nothing was working. Or, at least, not working as well as it had been earlier in the summer.

A fastball that was sitting at 90-93 mph in late July was now sitting 80-82 mph; the velos on his slider, curveball and changeup were also down. Scouts in attendance were busy taking notes when they weren’t too busy scratching their heads.

But it really wasn’t that much of a mystery at all. Smith, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty who at the time had climbed to No. 47 in PG’s class of 2021 national rankings, wasn’t healthy. And as proof of that, it was just six weeks ago that he made the decision to undergo Tommy John surgery, a procedure that will keep him on the shelf throughout the 2020 spring and, most likely, summer seasons.

There is no panic here, however; no anger, no “Why me?” Perhaps the most remarkable angle to this story is just how upbeat Smith has remained considering his situation. He’s been handed a figurative basket full of lemons and is now intent on turning this sour tasting happenstance into a sweet tasting pitcher of lemonade.

“I’m really not too worried about it,” Smith told PG during a telephone conversation last week, speaking all the while without a trace of bitterness or regret in his voice. “I think it’s almost more of a benefit, because I can work out a lot and then get myself right mechanics-wise later on. I’m just trying to look at it as a positive, honestly.”

That is certainly an admirable and mature approach for a 16-year-old to take, and it’s a mindset that should serve him well as he rehabs his left elbow.

Perfect Game’s scouting department continues to be confident he’ll come back better than ever, placing him in the No. 19 spot in the recently updated 2021 prospect rankings. That’s down just a few slots from the No. 15 position he had topped-out at, but he continues to be the No. 1-ranked left-hander in his national class (Smith is ranked Nos. 4/1 in the state of Texas).

His rise in the rankings had been nothing short of meteoric. He was considered a top-500 prospect in November 2018 but as the calendar flipped into 2019 his stock began to rise. He soon found himself in the top-100 and after a very strong summer leading up to the Area Code Underclass Games, he had climbed up into the teens.

Smith’s summer included all-tournament team selections at both the PG WWBA 16u National Championship and the 16u PG World Series while pitching with Academy Select 16u Ingram. His fastball sat 90-93 mph throughout those events.

In announcing that Smith would stay in the top-20 in the latest version of the rankings, PG noted that he was “electric on the mound this summer at the WBBA & World Series; big angle on fastball, up to 93 mph with sink.”

Smith threw a combined 12 innings at those two PG national championship tournaments and allowed three earned runs (0.57 ERA) on eight hits, with 24 strikeouts and 12 walks.

An average of a walk an inning can be troublesome but it’s something he’s sure he can get more of a handle on once he’s healthy and throwing again. Most importantly, he’s also sure he’s going to return to the mound as a smarter pitcher than what he was at the end of the summer.

“I think my mechanics really messed me up with that,” he said of the number of walks he issued. “I was throwing a lot more strikes in high school ball and my coach (Brock Lemire) really helped me use my legs. I guess I kind of just got sloppy with it at the end of the summer.”

Smith is capable of throwing four pitches for strikes – fastball, slider, curveball and changeup – but relies primarily on his low 90s fastball and high 70s slider (his curve and change usually sit in the high 70s as well). He was fairly comfortable with the progression he was making with his pitches during the summer and right up until the injury and the subsequent surgery.

“I feel like I could have done better,” Smith said before once again bringing up a lapse that led to the injury. “Towards the end my mechanics kind of got sloppy, but overall I feel like I had a pretty good summer; it was a pretty good ride.”

Smith enjoyed a terrific sophomore season at Bullard HS in 2019, helping the Panthers to a 22-6-2 record and a spot in the Texas Class 4A state playoffs. He finished 3-1 with a 1.26 ERA while also striking out 86 in 44 1/3 innings.

“At our high school, we worked out five times a week and my coach really pushed us,” Smith said. “That made us stronger as a group and that kind of helped me get ready for the summer.”

Smith had originally committed to Oklahoma State but he said he decided to decommit when the coach that had recruited him to Stillwater left the Cowboys' program. He reopened his recruitment and eventually committed to Arkansas (he told PG he is really looking forward to pitching in the SEC someday).

College is two years off for this talented young pitcher, a kid who has shown he can compete successfully on Perfect Game’s biggest stages and on some of the biggest stages in Texas high school baseball.

Hagen Smith is facing a challenge during his junior year in high school that will require a certain kind of toughness – both physically and mentally – to overcome. But he is going into the fight knowing that what he hopes will ultimately become a very long and very satisfying baseball career will get back on track maybe as early as the fall of 2020.

“I actually don’t know when the end-goal is for my rehab,” Smith said. “My plan is to come out stronger, and I’m going to go to a pitching coach – I haven’t decided who yet – and work on my lower half. … I’ve worked with a couple of people (in the past) but not regularly.

“That’s my plan, to come back way stronger than I was before,” he concluded. “I think working on my lower half will really help me and I can come back and be really dominant.”
Give us your feedback
High School | General | 3/18/2026

Class of 2026: Preseason HS All-Americans
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/19/2026

PG Teams Up with OZ Ball Tournaments PTY

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES OZ BALL TOURNAMENTS PTY AS OFFICIAL AREA DIRECTOR IN AUSTRALIA, EXPANDING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, March 19, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that it has entered into a new international partnership with Oz Ball Tournaments Pty, naming the organization as an official Perfect Game Area Director in Australia. The agreement establishes Perfect Game-licensed tournaments and showcases across major Australian markets, including Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.     Australian events will operate under the Perfect Game brand, delivering the same...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/18/2026

PG Introduces Individual Player Entry

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME INTRODUCES INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ENTRY, EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELITE NATIONAL EVENTS   Athletes Can Now Compete in Select National Tournaments Through Structured ‘Team PG’ Rosters   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, March 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the launch of Individual Player Entry, a new initiative designed to provide athletes the opportunity to compete in select national events even if their primary team is not attending.   Through the program, players can now register individually and be placed on a structured “Team PG” roster, allowing them to participate fully in...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 3/18/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 18

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
This week brings a new top team to the rankings as Johnson County (KS), on the strength of 10 consecutive wins and a 26-2 record, claims the overall number 1 spot. The Cavaliers have made 3 consecutive trips to the JUCO World Series and have the talent to make it back there again this spring. Florida Southwestern and Chipola have seemingly separated themselves as the most consistent teams in Florida. Welcome to the top 5 to the Gaston Rhinos who will be one of the first teams to 30 wins this spring. Pearl River stays as the top NJCAA D2 team and Fresno City stays as the top Juco team in California; both are coming off undefeated 2 week stretches. Welcome back to the top 25 to John A. Logan who is now 20-7 overall and have played one of the toughest schedules of anyone. And for the first time in several years welcome to the top 25 to the College of Southern Idaho, the Golden Eagles have...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/18/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 18

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
In every major sport, the championship is decided in the postseason. You can lose games all year, get hot at the right time, and walk away with the hardware. The regular season is a rehearsal. The playoffs are the show.  The championship belt changes that. Borrowed from professional wrestling, boxing and ultimate fighting, the belt travels the moment the holder loses — no brackets, no seeding, no second chances. A random Tuesday non-conference game in Milledgeville, Georgia  becomes a title fight. A spring trip to Florida becomes a gauntlet. The defending national champion can lose the belt before February is over.  We’re tracking three belts this season — NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NCAA Division III — each starting with the defending national champion. The results have been exactly as chaotic as you’d expect.  Worth noting along the...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/17/2026

High School Top 50 Update: March 17

Tyler Russo
Article Image
We have another update to the National Top-50 after two weeks of even more games being played in the southern states along with seasons just starting to kick off across the country. We’re quickly approaching another stellar high school event, the NHSI in Cary, and with that will come even more movement in these rankings. St. John Bosco (CA) continues to hold firm at the No. 1 position after a 4-0 start to their season. Venice (FL) has been rolling throughout the early portion of the year and jumps up to No. 2 in the country. One of the biggest movers in this update is The Bennett School (TX) jumping from unranked to No. 8 in the country after beating a handful of top ranked programs to start the year. Some other big movers inside the top-10 are Barbe (LA), who jumps from No. 18 to No. 5 in this update as well as Aledo (TX) who jumps from No. 20 to No. 9. The rest of the top-10...
Read More
College | Story | 3/17/2026

College Players of the Week: March 17

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 17th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-3) came into the season with the highest external expectations in decades based on the anticipation of their offensive potential. To this point they have not only met those lofty expectations, but twenty games in they may have exceeded them. While there are plenty of high-level prospects up and down the lineup, with all that star power Vahn Lackey has stood out. Sure to be one of the first catchers selected in this year’s MLB Draft with his comprehensive skillset, he projects well as an everyday backstop at the next level. However, his overall athleticism stands out as we saw this week when he had a game where he played every defensive position on the field except pitcher. At the plate over four games including a series victory at Clemson last week, he went 9 for 15, scoring...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/16/2026

College Top 25: March 16

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Player Report Database As each week of the college baseball season passes, we continue to be entertained at an incredible level with high level drama at every turn.  Conference play is under way and the national landscape is starting to make a bit more sense.  The development and strength of individual players is on full-display and there continue to be upsets on occasion that sends the message no team can relax for one moment.  For the most part, the Top 10 remains unchanged with some reshuffling as No. 1 UCLA (17-2) holds on to the top spot with yet another perfect (4-0) week after sweeping Michigan.  The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18-1) did drop their first game of the season in Game 1 of SEC play but won the series against Ole Miss and finished the week with a (3-1) record.  The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (17-3) passed their first real road test of the...
Read More
Draft | Story | 3/13/2026

PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps As the spring season gets underway, the showcase circuit and early high-level tournaments have already provided our scouts with some intriguing first looks at this year’s crop of prospects. At the same time, we’ve been tracking the buzz among team evaluators, listening closely to the names that keep coming up in conversations and the players clubs are making sure they get eyes on this spring. Every year, a handful of prospects quietly slip beneath the radar during the fall and winter months, only to reemerge once the games start counting again. Sometimes it’s the result of a productive offseason in the weight room, a noticeable jump in velocity, or a step forward in skill development. Other times, it’s simply a player finally getting the opportunity and the stage to show what’s been building behind the scenes. The spring has a...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.