THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 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 | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers
Kyler Peterson
Article Image
Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
Article Image
2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
Read More
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
Read More
College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 70

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
That Off-Season Program Wasn't Built for Your Son. It Was Built for Nobody. The Harsh Reality of Skill Development · Part 2 of 5 Somewhere right now, a pitcher is starting a twelve-week off-season program. It came from his travel team. Or a trainer. Or a big leaguer's Instagram. It has phases and a logo, and every kid in the building got the same one. Here is the harsh reality. That program was written before anybody looked at your son. It doesn't know he exists. It was built for the average pitcher... and the average pitcher does not exist. A Template Fixes Somebody's Problem. Maybe Not His. Every pitcher who is stuck is stuck for a reason. We call that reason his constraint... the thing that is actually limiting him right now. For one kid it is strength. For the next it is mobility. For the next it is a mechanical inefficiency, or an arm that isn't recovering, or a body that...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 69

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Your Son's April Arm Injury is Being Scheduled Right Now   The Harsh Reality of Skill Development - Part 1 of 5 Let me start this series with something most people in baseball won't say out loud. In my experience, a great many of the arm problems we will see next April are being set up right now... in October, November and December. Not necessarily because a young pitcher is throwing too much. Often it's because of what happens when he stops. Here is the pattern. I have watched it for more than thirty years. The fall season ends. The arm is tired, so the family does what seems like the responsible thing.  They shut it down. No throwing. For a lot of kids, no anything. Weeks go by. The holidays come and go. Then somebody looks at a calendar in January and realizes tryouts are three weeks away. Suddenly, an arm that has done nothing since October is asked to go from zero to game...
Read More
General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

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 ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
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.