Danvers Hurler Dazzles During Chicago White Sox Spring Training Start

DANVERS, MA — Danvers native and Governor's Academy alumnus Shane Smith make quite a statement facing some of the top hitters in Major League Baseball this weekend as he attempts to make the Chicago White Sox as a Rule 5 draft pick.

The 24-year-old struck out five batters in three shutout innings — including MVP Shohei Ohtani twice — during a spring training start in Arizona on Saturday. Smith also struck out Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Chris Taylor during his 49-pitch outing.

The White Sox posted a video of the five strikeouts on their team website here.

• Danvers Pitcher Top Pick In Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft

Smith pitched in parts of two seasons at Wake Forest University before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was drafted as part of the MLB draft that makes players eligible for selection if they were left off their parent club's 40-man roster after multiple years of minor league experience.

The team selecting the player must keep that player on the active MLB roster for the entire following season or offer him back to the former squad for $50,000.

In Smith's case, that means the White Sox must keep him from opening day until the end of the 2025
season or they must either send him back to the Brewers, or otherwise work out a trade.

Smith was 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA while striking out 113 batters in 32 appearances last year in the minor leagues.

He started the spring with a tough outing that ballooned his ERA but has settled down since with Saturday's outing perhaps showing his potential for a White Sox team in desperate search of young pitching talent after last year's historic struggles when their record was 41-121.

The record was the worst in Major League Baseball in 125 years dating back to 1899.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)