LA Angels Best 1st Round Picks in Franchise History

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have drafted many names over their 59-year history, with some booms and some busts.

When Angels fans peer out into centerfield, they are reminded daily of the team’s success in the MLB draft. The ability to select, and develop a talent like Mike Trout is what every scout and general manager dream about. Each and every draft should be about finding the next building block for your time and watching that pick blossom into a star.

Of course, it doesn’t always work like that.

The MLB Draft by its very nature is fickle. Scouting and selecting between hundreds of players each season, and then hoping they continue along the path of their potential through the gauntlet of the minor league system is almost as difficult as hitting a curveball. Every once in a while a team is going to barrel one up and take it out of the park, but they will fail more often than not. After all, the draft is a project where quality is found through mixing and matching the right quantity.

When the Angels make their first pick of the 2020 draft, they will be doing so for the 60th year. And like most franchises, they have enjoyed their fair share of success in the draft while also enduring more than enough failures. There have even been a number of solid selections that found success elsewhere. The key is mitigating that valleys between so as to not set back the franchise for years on end.

With the 2020 MLB Draft slated to start virtually on Wednesday, we thought it would be nigh time to look back at the best of the first-round picks for the Angels over the years. For this exercise, we’ll focus on exhibited most of their value as members of the Angels, even if they moved on to other teams down the road.