Angels make homegrown history in victory over Red Sox

While the Angels will take any win they can get as they attempt to stay relevant in the American League, Monday's victory against the Boston Red Sox was a special moment for the Halos' organization. In their 9-5 win, the Angels did something that had not been done since 1991.

Interim manager Ray Montgomery used eight former first round draft picks on Monday night a The Big A. Per Sarah Langs, they are the third team to ever do this (the Brewers in 1990-1991 and the Reds in 1987).

In the starting lineup, recent first rounders Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel led things off as usual. Neto hit his sixth leadoff home run of the season, continuing an important trend for the Angels while also showing how worthy he is of being in the All Star Game next month. After that young duo, veteran first rounders Mike Trout (another possible ASG snub) and Taylor Ward came up and showed their maturity, combining for seven walks Monday night.

Jo Adell and Christian Moore rounded out the starters for the first round picks, as they both drove in runs as well. The seventh and eighth first rounders to play for the Angels came out of the bullpen, as Sam Bachman continued his strong comeback, striking out two Red Sox batters in a scoreless inning. Reid Detmers was nails once again, striking out top prospect Roman Anthony and Trevor Story back-to-back to escape a bases loaded jam.

And while this may just seem like a fun little milestone for the Angels to luck into, it is the complete opposite. No team in baseball has put as much focus and emphasis on their first round picks than the Angels - especially since Perry Minasian took over as President of Baseball Operations. They have been lauded (and at times, laughed at) for how quickly they promote their top prospects, but they have found reasonable success each time.

While Ward and Trout are obviously in the latter half of their careers, this record signifies the entire thought process of the Angels' front office. They draft players whose talent they believe in, and get them into the big leagues as soon as that player shows they are ready to handle it. The Angels' farm system gets a lot of flack for how barren it is, but the young core of first rounders (as well as Logan O'Hoppe!) combined with Ward and Trout make for a competent and, at times, dangerous squad.

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