The Angels had a clear draft strategy if a bit unusual. First, they gave fringe-top ten prospect Tyler Bremner the second largest under slot deal of the draft at pick #2, then spread the more than $2.5 million in savings around to nothing less than a hoard of high school pitchers, headlined by third rounder Johnny Slawinski. In fact, LA not only drafted but signed nine preps in total. The focus for those prep pitchers was athleticism, with many multi-sport stars and projection plays among them. Beyond the preps, it was a pitching-focused draft for the Angels as a whole, taking seven arms with their first eight picks and ultimately handing nine of their ten largest bonuses to pitchers. This will be a very interesting draft to look back on in a decade – if Tyler Bremner succeeds as an impact starting pitcher, then it's highway robbery that the Angels could shell out additional millions to prep pitchers. If he doesn't, but more than a couple of these prep picks hit, then it works out too. But there is a lot of pressure on both Bremner and the group prep arms.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-2: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara
Slot value: $10.25 million. Signing bonus: $7.69 million ($2.56 million below slot value).
My rank: #12. MLB Pipeline: #18. Baseball America: #11.
Tyler Bremner has seen his stock climb up and down on a roller coaster, culminating in one of the more surprising picks of this draft. A hot recruit out of Scripps Ranch High School in suburban San Diego, he made it to campus at UCSB and immediately jumped into a swingman role as a freshman. He took a huge step forward as a sophomore by going 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA, again as a swingman, and established himself as one of the top prospects in the 2025 draft class. Entering his junior year, Bremner and Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold (#11 pick, A's) were considered the top two college pitchers in the country, but Bremner pitched to more "good" than "great" results to start the season, falling towards the middle of the first round as roughly the fifth best college pitcher in the class. Through those first seven starts, he had a 4.24 ERA and just 37 strikeouts in 34 innings (26.2% K rate). However, he turned on the jets starting in April and over his final starts struck out 74 batters in 43.1 innings (43.8% K rate) with a 2.91 ERA, rocketing back closer to the top ten picks by July. Then, the Angels shocked the baseball world by taking him second overall, fully buying into his dynamite second half while taking a massive discount, paying him closer to the slot value of the #6 pick. So who is Tyler Bremner? He has a mid 90's fastball that touches 98 at peak, coming in with big riding life to shoot past bats at the top of the zone. He sharpened up his slider nicely during his time in Santa Barbara but it lacked consistency in 2025, fluctuating between a sweeper and a gyro look, and he didn't throw it as much as he did in 2024. The changeup is his bread and butter, coming in with massive off-the-table drop that hitters struggled mightily with. He could tell them that it's coming, and in fact he can drop his arm a little when he throws it sometimes, and they'll still never hit it. His low release point helps his pitches play up as well, though he doesn't get a ton of extension. The 6'2" righty has a loose, athletic delivery that he repeats well for above average command, pounding the strike zone consistently to pitch deep into games. With his build, delivery, and command, he is a high probability starting pitcher at the next level. What will determine his ultimate ceiling will be whether he can bring the slider along, as he currently projects as a #3 starter unless he can work it back into an above average or better pitch.
2-47: RHP Chase Shores, Louisiana State
Slot value: $2.08 million. Signing bonus: $2.08 million.
My rank: #57. MLB Pipeline: #77. Baseball America: #86.
In some ways, this pick is a little reminiscent of last year's second rounder, Chris Cortez, whom the Angels took 45th in 2025. Chase Shores, like Tyler Bremner, was a highly touted prep prospect who reached campus at LSU. He was electric as a freshman in 2023 and had some scouts pegging him as an early candidate to go first overall in 2025, but went down with Tommy John surgery after just seven appearances and missed the entire 2024 season as well. Returning healthy in 2025, he showed the same big stuff but struggled with command and consistency, losing his spot in the LSU rotation but keeping his stock from falling too far by pitching effectively out of the bullpen. Shores is a massive guy with massive arm strength. Listed at 6'8", 245 pounds, he strikes an imposing presence on the mound and backs it up by running his fastball as high as 102. It normally sits in the mid 90's as a starter and in the upper 90's as a reliever with run and sink that makes it difficult to square up. His slider remains inconsistent, but it flashes plus at its best hard, tight, two-plane snap. His changeup has also taken a step forward in Baton Rouge with nice fade off that running fastball, giving him a deadly three pitch mix when he has everything going right. The command, though, has been fringy at best and he has days where he simply can't get ahead in the count, though he didn't walk any batters over his final five appearances spanning 8.1 innings. Shores holds his velocity deep into starts and has more than enough of what it takes to start, but he'll have to get more consistent with both his secondary stuff and his command in order to get there. If it does all click and he stays healthy, the West Texas native has even more upside than Tyler Bremner, but carries a lot more risk.
3-79: LHP Johnny Slawinski, Johnson City HS [TX]
Slot value: $1.03 million. Signing bonus: $2.5 million ($1.47 million above slot value).
My rank: #61. MLB Pipeline: #68. Baseball America: #78.
Using a massive chunk of their savings from Tyler Bremner, the Angels grabbed high school lefty Johnny Slawinski for more than double his slot value, giving him a bonus roughly in line with the #39 pick here at pick #79 to pull him away from a Texas A&M commitment. While his stuff isn't quite as loud as some of the other names on this list yet, he is as projectable as they come with the ceiling of a frontline starter. The fastball sits low 90's and touches 95 at peak, playing up a bit with riding action. He is still working to tighten up his slider, which can get loopy, but his best ones have late dive that make it look like an above average breaker. He can work it into a truer 12-6 curveball that gets average grades, while his changeup has taken a step forward with nice fade. The 6'3" lefty is a superb athlete that has also excelled on the hardwood, the gridiron, and the track, which translates to a smooth, athletic delivery and nice extension down the mound. He has a ton of projection remaining and could add several ticks of velocity to his fastball while adding power to his whole arsenal, power that will be especially usable given his athleticism. Slawinski also does a great job of staying around the zone, so ultimately we are looking at a four pitch lefty with the athleticism, command, and durability to make it as an impact starter if he reaches his peak. There is a ways to go in that regard but he is already more advanced than the typical small town arm (he grew up in Hill Country about forty miles west of Austin) and has a pretty straightforward, if long, development path. The Angels hefty investment indicates a high degree of confidence he will make those strides and become at least a #2 or #3 starter.
3C-105: RHP Nate Snead, Tennessee
Slot value: $729,600. Signing bonus: $597,500 ($132,100 below slot value).
My rank: #155. MLB Pipeline: #148. Baseball America: #84.
Continuing a run on pitchers, the Angels went chasing velocity again with an under slot signing here as compensation for failing to sign 2024 #81 overall pick Ryan Prager (now with the Guardians). Nate Snead started off at Wichita State, where he immediately became one of the Shockers' most reliable relievers as a freshman, then transferred to Tennessee after one season. He has fulfilled the same role in Knoxville and now will do the same for Los Angeles. Snead throws hard, sitting in the mid to upper 90's with his fastball and touching 101 at peak, though its hard running and sinking action creates more ground balls than it misses bats. By taking just a little bit off, he can throw a hard mid 90's cutter that has proven very effective when located, or he can turn it over further into a true slider in the mid 80's. He offers a hard, short curveball as a change of pace offering and used it more often in 2025 when he didn't feel he could trust his slider, while his firm changeup gives him a fifth pitch but hasn't proven very effective yet. With long arm action and a low three quarters delivery, the 6'2" righty is able to pound the zone effectively but his control is far ahead of his command, meaning his misses are often over the heart of the plate. With that fastball being his only consistent offering, hitters can sit on it and he hasn't missed nearly as many bats as you would hope from a pitcher who throws as hard as he does. In fact, in two years in Knoxville, he has never run a strikeout rate above 19% (for reference, Tyler Bremner grabbed 35.8% in 2025 and Chase Shores got 24.6%). The Angels will need to help Snead bring his offspeed stuff along, perhaps by tightening up the arsenal and focusing on a couple of secondaries, if he wants to be successful missing pro bats. The arm talent is certainly there and you really can't teach 101. The Milwaukee-area native projects as a reliever unless the secondaries come along in a big way and he tightens his command.
4-109: 3B Jake Munroe, Louisville
Slot value: $701,300. Signing bonus: $597,500 ($103,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #256.
For their first position player, the Angels took a slight discount on Jake Munroe with hopes he can work quickly through the minors and make an impact on their big league lineup. He spent two years at John A. Logan JC in Illinois, then transferred to Louisville where he just kept on hitting. Munroe uses a tight, lightning quick right handed swing to ambush fastballs and breaking balls alike, showing no growing pains jumping from Midwest JuCo pitching to the ACC and hitting .299/.437/.523 in conference play, impressively walking more (16.1%) than he struck out (13.9%) against some of the best pitching he'd ever seen. To that point, he also dominated the Northwoods League, probably the second best summer league out there behind the Cape Cod League, to the tune of a .313/.411/.615 line last summer. He shows fringe-average pop with the ability to turn on and crank balls on the inner half of the plate, playing more as a line drive bat the other way. It's a pretty balanced overall offensive profile that could project for 15 home runs and solid on-base percentages annually. A third baseman for now, Munroe will need to work hard to remain at the hot corner with fringy athleticism and below average speed. If he has to slide to first base, there will be pressure on his right handed bat to continue to grow into more power, though his 6'2", 230 pound frame looks about as filled out as it's going to get. Munroe's track record of hitting everywhere he has gone is extremely impressive and the Angels are banking on that upward trend continuing as he ascends through the pro ranks.
5-140: RHP CJ Gray, Brown HS [NC]
Slot value: $519,100. Signing bonus: $1.25 million ($730,900 above slot value).
My rank: #132. MLB Pipeline: #178. Baseball America: #118.
Dipping again into the massive chunk of change they saved on Tyler Bremner, the Angels were able to hand CJ Gray a large over slot bonus worth close to the value of the #69 pick here at #140, turning him away from an NC State commitment. Gray has a live arm with tons of untapped potential, but he'll need significant development to get there. The fastball sits low to mid 90's and touches 97 with explosive running life, and there should be even more in the tank as he continues to tack on strength. He is still searching for the identity of his slider, showing inconsistent shape that fluctuates from fringy to above average, while his release is actually very conducive to a changeup and he has much better feel in that regard than you'd expect from a multi-sport star. Accordingly, the 6'2" righty is an excellent athlete that starred as A.L. Brown High School's quarterback and earned Division I interest for his skills on the gridiron. While the split focus makes him a bit raw on the mound, that athleticism gives him massive upside and you can see it in the way he moves on the mound. He's explosive, lean, strong, and only getting better. To this point, his delivery remains raw as well, as he struggles to repeat his release point and presently has erratic command. Los Angeles will look to bring him along slowly, hoping that the singular focus on baseball along with standard growth and maturation in the pro system will help him tap into his high potential. Like I said with Nate Snead – you can teach command, you can get secondary stuff more consistent, but you can't teach athleticism and arm talent like Gray has. He could become anything from an impact starting pitcher to a hard throwing reliever.
6-169: RHP Luke LaCourse: Bay City Western HS [MI]
Slot value: $393,700. Signing bonus: $512,500 ($118,800 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #213.
Continuing to spend through that bonus pool, Los Angeles went about a round above slot value to sign Luke LaCourse away from a Michigan State commitment. A multi sport star like the other prep arms in this Angels class, LaCourse has the added factor of being a cold weather arm from Central Michigan with presumably far fewer miles on his arm. The fastball velocity is modest, low 90's and touching 94 on his best days but sitting upper 80's on others albeit with big spin rates. His slider is his best pitch, coming in with wicked sweep across the plate and elite spin rates pushing far above the 3,000 RPM threshold. His changeup is a third pitch that will need significant refinement. The 6'3" righty brings present physicality and projection, which combined with athleticism and a cold weather background should help him add significant velocity in the future. LaCourse has tight arm action that helps him really coil on the baseball, especially on his breaking ball, and generate high spin rates across his arsenal. The command needs fine tuning but looks playable on the right day, and regardless the Angels are highly confident they can get him where he needs to be. If LaCourse can stay healthy, add some velocity, and bring his changeup along, he has mid rotation upside albeit with high risk.
12-349: LHP Talon Haley, Lewisburg HS [MS]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $897,500 ($747,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: #111. MLB Pipeline: #91. Baseball America: #89.
Taking yet another chunk from their copious bonus pool savings, the Angels spent third round money (roughly the value of pick #88) to pull Talon Haley away from a Vanderbilt commitment. Haley has taken a winding road to reach where he is, to say the least. Namely, he survived lymphoma and two Tommy John surgeries all while in high school, then went out and put up a big senior season at Lewisburg High School outside of Memphis. His fastball has average velocity in the low 90's, but he can run it up to 97 in short stints when he reaches back. As he gets farther from the surgeries and the cancer, he should push closer to that peak velocity for longer stints. He gets nice two-plane action on his above average curveball, which already looks like a big league breaking ball, and can turn it over into a solid slider as well. While his changeup may be his fourth best pitch, it too is solid and rounds out a very advanced arsenal. Haley is already very physical, which combined with his simple delivery and deep arsenal, gives him a great chance to remain a starter in pro ball. He repeats his delivery well and pounds the strike zone, and ultimately looks exactly how you'd draw it up for a workhorse starting pitcher. He may not have the ace upside of the other prep arms in this class, but he's a safer bet than all of them and should move the quickest through the minors. He is a year older than most high schoolers and will be 20 years old ahead of his first spring training in 2026, which is understandable.
13-379: LHP Xavier Mitchell, Prestonwood Christian HS [TX]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $872,500 ($722,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: #161. MLB Pipeline: #168. Baseball America: #114.
Another lefty, Xavier Mitchell is otherwise very different from Talon Haley but signed for similar third round money. His modest fastball currently sits in the low 90's and touches 93 with lots of running life, but more is certainly on the way. His curveball is inconsistent to this point but flashes above average with downward bite, but it can soften up at times. He rounds things out with a nice changeup, giving him three big league pitches to start things out. Mitchell stands out most for his projection as a 6'3" string bean with room to add upwards of fifty pounds of good weight, which could add more than a few ticks of velocity in the coming years. You can never bet on a guy adding 5+ miles per hour, but if anybody can, Mitchell is in great position to do it. He already moves very well on the mound with a loose, athletic delivery that will be conducive to putting the incoming strength to work, and as a lefty, he has a lot going for him if the Angels can pull it out of him. It will take a long time to develop, much like the other non-Haley prep arms in this class, but the reward may well be worth it. The Dallas-area product is old for the class, having turned 19 the day before he was drafted. He had previously been committed to Texas.
