New England Native Becomes Unlikely MLB All-Star

Shane Smith’s road from Little League in Danvers to the MLB All-Star Game was anything but conventional. But on Tuesday night in Atlanta, the 25-year-old right-hander stood on baseball’s biggest stage.

Pitching in relief for the American League in the eighth inning, Smith became the first rookie White Sox pitcher ever selected to the All-Star Game and the first pitcher in MLB history to earn the honor the season after being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.

Though his appearance was brief, he made it count. He faced two batters, hitting Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez before inducing a groundout from Washington’s James Wood.

The former Governor’s Academy standout was pulled after one-third of an inning by AL manager Aaron Boone. But for Smith, just being there was the culmination of something special.

“You start to realize what this means and you never know if things happen again,” Smith said during All-Star media day, as transcribed by Matt Williams of The Daily News of Newburyport.

“This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I want to treat it as such. This is really special to me. It’s special to everybody here.”

Surrounded by family and his girlfriend, Smith soaked in the full All-Star experience — from signing autographs at Truist Park to cheering on fellow stars at the Home Run Derby. It was a surreal moment for a player who signed with Milwaukee as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and bounced between minor league levels before Chicago selected him with the first pick of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft.

The White Sox gave Smith a chance, and he’s run with it. After winning a rotation spot this spring, he posted a strong first half and now holds a 4.26 ERA across 17 starts.

Chicago manager Will Venable said they will continue managing Smith’s workload in the second half while giving him a chance to keep proving he belongs.

As for Smith, his message was simple.

“If they give me the ball, I’m going to throw no matter what.”