ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft shows cost Angels are paying for repeated ineptitude

One would think that the silver lining to the Los Angeles Angels' back-to-back last-place finishes in the AL West would be the club being able to load up on high-end talent via high draft picks in the MLB Draft. After all, 2024's pitiful 63-99 record yielded the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which became promising young hurler Tyler Bremner. Unfortunately, the rule book stands in the way of more draft lottery good fortune.

As an anti-tanking measure, the draft lottery has a couple of wrinkles to prevent clubs from being completely uncompetitive with eyes on stacking top draft picks year after year. Revenue-sharing recipients are not eligible to receive lottery picks (top-six draft picks) more than two consecutive years. For luxury tax payors, like the Angels, that restriction is more stringent, disallowing back-to-back lottery picks.

As a result, the Angels will own the 12th pick when the draft rolls around this July. That's led to a potentially underwhelming selection if ESPN's Kiley McDaniel's first mock draft comes true, with University of Florida starting pitcher Liam Peterson heading to Anaheim.

To be fair, there are a lot of things to like about Peterson, a six-foot-five right-handed junior who has three years of experience working as a starter in the SEC, but there are also some warts as well. The young hurler has command issues with an 11% walk rate this season, and has never posted an ERA better than 4.00 over his collegiate career.

As McDaniel notes, there are several prospects the Angels would like to land that go right before their pick, making it feel as if Peterson, or whichever other prospect they select, is nothing more than a consolation prize.

The Angels' missing out on a lottery pick highlights how bad their recent draft strategy has been

Los Angeles has had a clear strategy the past several seasons when it comes to the draft. The club prefers collegiate players with a wealth of experience who can be promoted rapidly. It also prefers players willing to take underslot deals, ostensibly to have more bonus money to take high-upside gambles later on, but really simply enjoying the savings.

Given the continued losing and the farm system continuously ranking among the bottom of the league, it's hard to say it has paid off.

The Halos' last five first-round picks have all followed this blueprint, and it's hard to argue that there are many keepers from the group. Sam Bachman has struggled with injuries throughout his career and is now trying to find his footing as a reliever. Zach Neto has been good, but his mental lapses and overall stagnation have prevented him from elevating his game as needed. Nolan Schanuel is a unique player, but not an impact one.

The most recent selections are too early to truly pass judgment on. We're still trying to figure out if Christian Moore has enough of a hit tool to become a big league regular, and of course, we're reminded constantly that the Angels selected him over Konnor Griffin largely because he'd be cheaper to sign.

The song is pretty much the same for Bremner, who was more economical than high school phenom Seth Hernandez and some other, more highly-regarded arms.

What we end up with here is a recipe for mediocrity. The Angels never take the big swing. They never go overslot to ensure they get that blue-chip talent. As a result, they might get some fine players and useful spare pieces, but they won't get any difference makers. And given they won't go on a free-agent feeding frenzy, that's not going to be enough to compete.

Finally, by not getting over the hump and becoming true contenders, that pesky lottery rule is going to prevent them from consistently cashing in high draft picks, further dampening their pipeline. Rinse and repeat. The cycle continues.

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