Angels' 2025 draft selection finalizes compensation for lost 2024 pick

The Angels are historically prudent with the money they have in their draft bonus pool...almost to a fault. With the highest selection the organization had in three decades, they selected UC Santa Barbara's Tyler Bremner no. 2 overall because he will sign below-slot value. Some would argue that using that high of a draft pick on an under-slot pick is non-sensical and the Angels should have just picked the best pitcher in the draft. Well, the Angels' below-slot value selection in the first round allows the Angels to spread their $16,656,400 of bonus pool money around evenly throughout the later rounds.

Despite the organizational strategy that's going on for five drafts now, last year the Angels could not sign the left-handed Ryan Prager out of Texas A&M after grabbing him in the third round. Christian Moore was signed under-slot with the eighth pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, but they could not reel in Prager despite holding onto more money by way of the Moore reach. As a result, the Angels received the last pick of the first day of the 2025 MLB Draft.

Angels' 2025 draft selection finalizes compensation for lost 2024 pick

The Angels passed on the University of Tennessee's Liam Doyle at no. 2, could not get Doyle's UT teammate in AJ Russell in the second round (he went no. 52 to the Texas Rangers) then they passed on Tanner Franklin in favor of LSU's Chase Shores with the no. 47 pick. However, they grabbed Nate Snead with the 105th pick out of UT with the only SUP-3 pick in the draft. Take that, Prager!

Snead, who was Moore's teammate during their championship winnings 2024 season, posted a 4.53 ERA, a 3.98 FIP and a 1.55 WHIP in 2025. He tossed 49.2 innings in 22 relief appearances and a single start for the Volunteers, and racked up 5 saves. Compare that to Prager...who went in the 9th round to Cleveland. Prager's icy heater sat at 88 MPH and his slider was ineffective and slow. Like Bremner, Prager's changeup is his highest graded pitch but also sits in the upper-70s. It sure seems like the Angels dodged a bullet, eh?

Much like Bremner, Shores and Johnny Slawinski, Snead throws fuzz-balls. He hit 100.0 MPH and above nine times last season. His 4S gets knocked for having more sink than ride, but the Angels consistently challenge their drafted pitchers to locate their fastball better -- they identify college pitchers whose 4S locations should get cleaned up, and develop them by changing targets. If Snead can locate his 4S more consistently in the upper third of the strike zone, the "meh" metrics mean less given the velocity.

Snead's mechanics look eerily similar to Aaron Nola's. Also like Nola, Snead's curveball was lauded as his best off-speed leading up to the draft. He also adds in a cutter, slider and changeup which all have above-average velocity. Given his lower arm-slot and incredible arm strength, look for the Angels ditch his "blah" changeup grip and give him a splinker like they did with Ben Joyce. Go Vols!

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