Grading the Angels’ last 5 first-round picks with the 2026 MLB Draft coming up fast

The 2026 MLB Draft starts today, and for the first time in a long time, it appears as if the Los Angeles Angels will be taking a different approach than what they've gone with in recent years. That brings renewed hope and excitement for the future.

With that in mind, it's time to look back at the recent past and see what the Angels have gotten out of their first-round picks in recent years. Reviewing the last five drafts gives us a snapshot of the entire Perry Minasian era, and while in most cases, it's hard to properly grade recent draft picks due to the lack of experience and developing nature of the players, Minasian's strategy of selecting the perceived most MLB-ready player and rushing him to the majors actually makes this worthwhile.

With that said, let's take a look at how things have shaped up. Spoiler alert: it was great, the Angels would likely be in a better situation than they are today. Minasian might still have a job, too.

Grading the five Angels first-round picks of the Perry Minasian era

2021 - 9th overall pick - RHP Sam Bachman

The 2021 draft will be remembered forever, and Sam Bachman is only part of the reason why. The "All Pitcher Draft" featured, you guessed it, pitchers with each of the Angels' 20 picks, with Bachman leading the way. They've gotten shockingly little for that investment.

Bachman has been plagued by shoulder injuries throughout his career, culminating with him undergoing surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2025. The injuries transitioned Bachman from a starter to a reliever, and become a mediocre one at that. If there's a saving grace, it's that there haven't been many quality big leaguers picked after him, with the best example being Jackson Merrill, who went at pick 27.

Grade: C-

2022 - 13th overall pick - SS Zach Neto

Of all the Halos' recent picks, Zach Neto has been the most productive. He's also one of the poster children for the draft and dash strategy that has seen prospects rushed to the bigs, playing just 48 total minor league games before his 2023 promotion.

Neto is a frustrating figure due to his star-level talent and 30-30 potential, but he's begun to stagnate. His whiff-fueled tendencies have him on track to threaten the single-season strikeout record, and his defense, which wasn't great to begin with, has started to become a real problem. With that said, he's also been the most productive (by bWAR) player selected in the first round that year, though that's partly due to him having more opportunity.

Grade: B

2023 - 11th overall pick - 1B Nolan Schanuel

Nolan Schanuel's ascent to the majors was even quicker than Neto's, playing just 22 minor league games before making his major league debut on August 18, the same year he was drafted. Schanuel is another young player who has stagnated and even regressed over the years.

A patient, contact-focused hitter in college, Schanuel's power has never developed, while his walk rate has taken a major hit. The profile is weird for a power-focused position like first base, and ultimately, without any speed or much defensive value, his impact is extremely limited. Bottom line, Shanuel has been a below-average regular to date, and doesn't seem like he'll get much better. Players drafted after him with higher ceilings include Matt Shaw, Bryce Eldridge, and Colt Emerson, making this selection look even worse.

Grade: D+

2024 - 8th overall - 2B Christian Moore

We're really getting into territory where it is difficult to accurately grade the prospects due to how recent they are, but with Christian Moore, so much has happened in so little time. The Angels have done everything possible to stunt his development, from rushing him to the majors, but then yo-yo him back and forth, add third base and then the outfield to his plate, and finally use him simply as an injury replacement.

Moore did not take his last demotion well, and it's fair to say that he should have handled it better despite the validity behind his frustration. It's led some to wonder if the rift between the player and the organization is so great that a trade is the only path forward. To make matters worse, potential franchise cornerstone Konnor Griffin was selected the very next pick, as well as other promising youngsters like Cam Smith, Carson Benge, and Trey Yesavage.

Grade: D... (partly because of the Angels' handling of him)

2025 - 2nd overall - RHP Tyler Bremner

Way too early to proclaim anything here, but Tyler Bremner got off a hot start before missing time with an illness. Since then, he's struggled as of July 8, and owns a 4.26 ERA down at Hi-A Tri-City on the season. There was talk of him being fast-tracked to the majors this season, but with these struggles and John Mozeliak's new philosophy of restraint, make that seem impossible, and that's a good thing.

It's too early to write Bremner off, but there's the fact that other promising arms (ones that may have more potential) like Kade Anderson and Seth Hernandez were selected behind him has to knock the grade down a bit, at least for now.

Grade: C

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