Shane Smith DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith continued his excellent season in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Astros. Smith pitched six innings, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. The 25-year-old has led the way among several surprise encouraging pitchers this season, going 3-3 with a 2.37 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and an 8.43 K/9 rate in 13 starts and 68 1/3 IP. He may not earn a ton of wins given his backing offense, but Smith has put up strong ratios and has offered a high fantasy floor. He will have a good opportunity to keep things going in his next scheduled start at the Rangers.

Chicago White Sox right-handed pitching prospect Shane Smith struck out five batters in his loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday evening. Smith allowed three runs across five innings of work. He allowed five hits and served up three walks. He allowed his first run in the fourth inning on a Maikel Garcia RBI double. Then in the fifth, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a double, which scored Kyle Isbel. The 25-year-old has continued to hold his own during his first taste of the major leagues. Through his first 37 1/3 innings at the MLB level, the right-hander has posted a solid 2.41 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. He has struck out 31 batters but served up 15 high walks. Under the hood, he has generated a 28.3 percent whiff rate, which suggests his strikeout numbers could continue to climb. He remains a solid option in 15+ team formats given his strikeout upside.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith earned his first win of the season with five scoreless innings against the Twins in a 3-0 victory on Wednesday. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out seven. This was his second scoreless outing in five starts this season and the seven strikeouts marked a new personal best. He now holds a 2.30 ERA and 0.95 WHIP on the season and is showing off some upside in his rookie year. He'll look to carry this momentum into his next start, currently lined up to face the Brewers.

Chicago White Sox pitching prospect Shane Smith tossed six shutout innings during his second career MLB start on Tuesday afternoon against the Cleveland Guardians. He allowed just two hits and held a strong 1:6 BB:K. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but his bid was spoiled by third baseman Jose Ramirez. In Smith's first outing of the season on April 1, he tossed five 2/3 innings of two-run ball against the Minnesota Twins. In that outing, he struck out just three batters and served up four free passes. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his development, but he appears to be taking consistent steps forward. Smith is lined up to face the Boston Red Sox in his next start. Given his strong showing on Tuesday, he is worth a look in deeper 15+ team formats.

MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that Chicago White Sox right-hander Shane Smith has earned a spot in the team's starting rotation to begin the 2025 regular season. Smith will be making his major-league debut when he toes the rubber for the first time. The 24-year-old Wake Forest product earned the rotation spot this spring by posting a 3.38 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 11 strikeouts and four walks in four Grapefruit League starts covering 10 2/3 innings. He ends up beating out right-hander Bryse Wilson for the fifth rotation spot. Smith, a Rule 5 draft pick, must stick on Chicago's MLB roster all year or be offered back to the Milwaukee Brewers. In 32 appearances (16 starts) for Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville last year, he had a 3.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 113 K's and 29 walks in 94 1/3 innings. Smith is in play as rotation depth in AL-only leagues.