LA Angels: Mock Drafts have Halos going after this position of need

It’s no secret that the LA Angels have struggled as far as pitching goes this year.

Both in the pen and with the starting rotation, the Angels need help.

FanGraphs released their ‘Mock Draft 2.0’ on Tuesday, and have the Angels attacking that weakness on their team. Bleacher Report and MLB.com already had the Angels going after pitching as well.

Trends in mock drafts reveal that it’s best for LA Angels to go for pitching in the first round of the MLB Draft.

Both FanGraphs and Bleacher Report have the LA Angels selecting Jackson Jobe with the ninth overall pick.

Jobe is a right-handed pitcher from Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma. His fastball gets to 96 mph, and his best pitch is a filthy slider that received a 70-grade.

MLB.com thinks the Halos will be looking for someone a bit older, however, and won’t be interested in a player coming out of high school. They have the Angels selecting Ty Madden.

Madden is also a right-hander, and is coming off a college career where he posted a 2.59 ERA along with a 1.122 WHIP. He only walked 3.5 batters per nine innings, and while he was a starter in these last two seasons, he has some experience coming in to pitch in relief in college.

I’d go with Madden, due to him having more high-level experience. He only gave up seven total home runs in 18 starts this year, and has been drafted before.

He’s the more established prospect to me, as history has shown that risk can be found with taking right-handed pitching straight out of high school.

I absolutely think Jobe can buck the trend, I just think that the safest pick is to go with the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year.

He’s already thrown against a lot of great bats, and has already shown the ability to work as hard as he needs to at the college level. He’s gained 35 pounds since coming into college to put more strength on his tall, 6’3″ frame. He stands at 6’3″, 215 pounds now.

I like what both guys bring to the table, so either would be a fine choice. I would, however, prefer to go with Madden because he has a higher floor.