LA Angels: 5 crazy ‘what-if’ first-round picks that could have been

The Angels simply have not drafted well in recent seasons.

The Angels may be good at identifying major league talent, but in recent seasons, with the exception of Mike Trout, they have been near the bottom of the league in farm system graduations. The Angels simply have not historically been good at drafting, international free agency, or anything involving deals where they acquire minor league pieces.

Mike Trout is the crown jewel of the Angels draft history and while it was truly an amazing selection, there has not been anyone worth noting. Anthony Rendon was signed. Shohei Ohtani was signed from Japan — which doesn’t count as international free agency. Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh appear to be future impact players at the big league level. However, that’s truly all the Angels can really pride themselves on in recent seasons. It’s been years since Trout was drafted, so they cannot keep harping on that as their big accomplishment. That was 12 years ago.

The Angels have certainly passed on many players who went on to become superstars. Many other teams around the league have done exactly the same thing, but it is fair to wonder what could have been if the Angels had a good department for drafting in place.

The Angels only true superstar that they drafted is Mike Trout. That’s not great. When you look at teams who have won the World Series recently, they are kings of homegrown talent. The Dodgers had Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and more get in on the action. The Nationals had Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto. The Astros had Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Alex Bregman. The Red Sox even had Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts! There is a pattern to it all.

Let’s take a look at five crazy ‘what-if’ first-round draft picks the Angels could have had that turned into legitimate stars.

Gerrit Cole (2008)

Gerrit Cole was considered the crown jewel of the 2008 draft, but given his sign-ability concerns, he fell late into the first round and was drafted by the New York Yankees. He did not wind up signing even after getting drafted in the first round. He instead went to UCLA to be rotation mates with Trevor Bauer and then found his way to the New York Yankees eventually, signing a deal north of $300 million with them last off-season.

Even though Gerrit Cole was no obtainable for the Yankees, he very well could have been for the Angels. Gerrit Cole attended Orange Lutheran High School in the city of Orange, just a few miles away from Angel Stadium. Cole would have been offered the chance to pitch for his hometown team and likely would have bitten on the offer if the Angels paid up.

Instead, the Angels signed Torii Hunter away from the Minnesota Twins and lost their first-round pick. That selection would have been 27th overall. Gerrit Cole went at the 28th overall pick in 2008.

Other major leaguers who went outside of the first round include Jake Odorizzi, Lance Lynn, Brad Hand, and Craig Kimbrel.

Christian Yelich (2010)

Christian Yelich, another Southern California product out of Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, was easily possible for the Angels. He was considered a solid defensive center fielder at the time with 20-30 stolen base ability, the ability to hit for a very high average, but with limited power. We now know that this is not the case. Yelich crushed 44 home runs in a tight MVP race with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger back in 2019.

The Angels had the 18th, 29th, 30th, 37th, and 40th picks in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Basically every one of those picks did not end well. The Angels took third baseman Kaleb Cowart with the first of the five picks — he didn’t amount to much. The Angels also took Cam Bedrosian who ended becoming a solid reliever, but never really amounted to much either and was recently released. The Halos also took outfielder Chevy Clarke, shortstop Taylor Lindsey, and outfielder Ryan Bolden, three players who never played in Major League Baseball.

Not only could the Angels have had Christian Yelich, though. Noah ‘Thor’ Syndergaard was available at pick 38 before he was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays and Nick Castellanos was also available at pick 44 to the Detroit Tigers.

Aaron Judge (2013)

This might be the most heart-breaking scenario in Angels history. Aaron Judge, when on the field, has a genuine claim to being the third best player in the sport. He is very gifted on both ends, boasting an electric power bat and height that can allow him to snag home runs out of the right field stands at Yankee Stadium.

Judge was selected 32nd overall by the New York Yankees back in 2013, a draft where the Angels had no first-round pick. The reason they did not have a first-round pick? They signed Josh Hamilton to a monster contract. We all know how that turned out. Not ideal.

Judge took some extra minor league seasoning to become what he is, but the Angels easily could have had him playing right field right now alongside Mike Trout. He has posted a lifetime 151 wRC+ which is quite frankly Hall of Fame caliber. The Angels could have had an outfield for the ages, but instead had Josh Hamilton.

Other notable players that came from the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft include right-handed reliever Corey Knebel, recent National League Rookie of the Year Devin Williams, MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger, and Mets utility man Jeff McNeil. The Angels could certainly use one of those guys!

Jack Flaherty (2014)

Jack Flaherty was a highly-touted prospect when he was drafted after being rotation mates with Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried and Chicago White Sox stud Lucas Giolito at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles. Flaherty always had electric stuff and the St. Louis Cardinals saw a lot in him and have recently been proven correct with their assessment.

Flaherty was selected in the compensatory round of the 2014 draft at 34th overall. The Angels had the 15th overall pick in the draft and used it on left-hander Sean Newcomb. Newcomb became a solid major league asset unlike many other players we have mentioned the Angels drafting, but I’m sure the Halos would have loved to have gotten Flaherty instead.

In addition to Jack Flaherty, the Angels also could have had defensive wizard Matt Chapman who instead was drafted by the Oakland Athletics at 25th overall.

Outside of Flaherty and Chapman, the Angels also could have had top prospect Michael Kopech, solid major leaguers Luke Weaver and Michael Chavis, as well as Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo or Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins.