LA Angels' No. 2 pick's season's over before it even really began

The Angels shocked the world when they drafted Tyler Bremner with the second overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft. The Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits first overall, which opened the door for the Angels to nab Kade Anderson, Ethan Holliday, Liam Doyle or Seth Hernandez. However, Bremner was their guy. Some believed he would rush through the Angels' pipeline as many former first round picks before him have, but it was reported recently that Bremner would not pitch for an affiliate this year in a semi-confounding twist of affairs.

LA Angels' No. 2 pick's season's over before it even really began

When the Angels were sitting with the No. 2 selection in the draft, everybody who has ever followed the team believed they would bring someone in who would rise fast through their ranks (see: Nolan Schanuel). At the time of the draft, the team was a fringe contender who might have sped Bremner through to the major league level at some point in the second half of the season. Obviously, that's not the case anymore. However, it's still perplexing that Bremner has been stashed in Arizona until Instructional League.

The Angels' have handled their pitching prospects with extreme care this season. Ryan Johnson and Caden Dana, two prized arms in their pipeline, were both shut down for over a month during their respective minor league seasons. Dana and Johnson were both given mini-vacations mid-season so the team could monitor their workload and arm fatigue. It seems the Angels are using the same tactic with Bremner, who is rated higher as a prospect than both Dana and Johnson.

Another wrinkle with Bremner is the fact that the Angels now have an operational pitching lab at their spring training facilities in Tempe, AZ. The Angels' have their Rookie League team, the ACL Angels, play out of there, and that's exactly where Bremner is. The UC Santa Barbara product was lauded for his upper-90s heater and MLB-ready changeup, but was knocked for his slider. Perhaps the Angels wanted to keep Bremner where the lab is to tinker with his slider before rather than send him off to Low-A Inland Empire?

Christian Moore, Zach Neto, Sam Bachman, Ben Joyce and many others previously rose to Double-A Rocket City the year they were drafted. Had Moore not have gotten injured last year, he absolutely could have made The Show the same year he was taken by the Angels. The Angels clearly shifted their development tactics with Bremner for one reason or another. Their rational remains unclear, but fans might be in store for a methods from their MiLB player development department.

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