Latest Angels mock draft has LA making a pick that feels like too little, too late

Mock draft season is in full effect, and we're starting to see a consensus form for the Los Angeles Angels' selection. Kiley McDaniel's first mock draft for ESPN had the Halos selecting University of Florida right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson with the 12th overall pick, and now, a week later, we have MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo concuring with Peterson projected as the Angels' selection.

We've covered the reasons why the Angels short-changed themselves by falling out of the lottery, and consequently, some of the shortcomings Peterson has versus the consensus top collegiate arm, USC's Jackson Flora, as well as some of the other top prospects in the class.

That doesn't mean that there aren't reasons to like Peterson, though. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has ideal size at six-foot-five, 220 pounds. He also has an enticing arsenal that includes a fastball that sits 95 miles per hour and can be run up to 99, as well as a biting slider that brings both horizontal movement and depth, and a fading changeup that's a real weapon against lefties.

Baseball America (subscription required) notes that both of Peterson's secondaries posted whiff rates of 40% or greater during his 2025 campaign. A rare change of pace curveball rounds out the repertoire.

Liam Peterson could be a fast riser if selected by the Angels, but it won't matter for the current regime

Peterson has the makings of a strikeout machine and could have top-of-the-rotation potential. He'll enter pro ball with three years of starting experience in the highly competitive SEC, which means he could fly through the lower levels of the minors.

He's posted strikeout rates over 31% in each of the past two seasons, proving just how easily he can dominate hitters. What he'll need to do once he hits the minor leagues is refine his command, as walks can be a bugaboo.

Still, the control issues aren't egregious. His experience and punch-out heavy stuff could have him drawing comparisons to last year's first-round pick, Tyler Bremner. Bremner has looked like a guy who could fly through the system, and if Peterson is the pick, he could do the same. That could breathe new life into an Angels' rotation that has been underwhelming for far too long, but it might not come soon enough for certain high-profile members of the Halos organization.

Embattled general manager Perry Minasian will likely be the one to pull the trigger on the pick, but with his contract mercifully expiring at the end of the season, he might not be around to see it bear fruit. By extension, manager Kurt Suzuki is on thin ice both because he's only signed to a one-year deal and also because a new lead executive likely would want to hand-pick his own manager.

Like Bremner, Peterson almost certainly wouldn't make his pro debut until 2027, with an earliest arrival date in the majors being somewhere around midseason. Even if the Angels could get him into minor league games this year, it would likely be only a handful of outings before the year came to a close.

It's easy to be disappointed by the low draft pick relative to the Angels' pitiful 2025 record, but if the board falls as the experts think, Peterson isn't a bad consolation prize. The only problem is the regime that makes the selection might not be the one that sees him blossom.

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