Newest mock draft shows Angels making huge mistake at #2

While the Angels continue to go back and forth between .500 and right below it, the 2025 MLB Draft is quickly approaching. The Angels did not have any player voted into the All Star Game as a starter, and so the Draft may be the most exciting part of MLB All Star Festivities for Halo fans. 

And in the most recent mock draft by MLB Pipeline, the Angels are once again slotted to take left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle out of Tennessee with the second overall selection. And once again, this would be an astronomical mistake by Perry Minasian and his team if this ends up being the course of action. 

MLB Pipeline does a good job explaining why this pick will be made. If there are two things the entire baseball world seems to know about the Angels’ draft strategy, it is that they want a player who can progress through the minor leagues quickly and someone who will sign for below slot value. Doyle fits both of those, as college pitchers typically sign for less. And while Doyle may end up being a fine big leaguer, the Angels selecting him #2 overall when he is not rated in the top five by any of the major draft networks would be catastrophic. I can understand wanting to save money at #2 to have extra money for later rounds - especially when the Angels have a handful of picks in the first few rounds. 

Back when the Angels received the second overall pick, Perry Minasian said, “There’s no specific blueprint,” Minasian said. “I don’t look at it that way. But if you end up saving money early, you know you're going to get a high school player later on. But it’s not necessarily a blueprint. We're going to look for the best talent, the best fit.” If they take Liam Doyle, they are simply not doing this. Jackson Holliday is the consensus best prospect and who the Angels should take. And by all signals, he will be available for the Angels after showing up to The Big A last week when the Angels took on another team with a top pick. Furthermore, local boy Seth Hernandez is the best arm in the draft but has not been on the Angels’ radar due to him being a prep pitcher. 

Why not take an top tier, elite prep player early to get yourself a genuine top prospect in baseball and then use your following picks to go cheap for college arms to replenish the farm system? The logic can be flipped pretty easily, and simply put Minasian would make a massive mistake in not staying true to his word and selecting the best player available with the second overall pick. After all, odds are the Angels will not be picking this high again for a long time.

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