Ranking the most valuable 1st round picks on the Angels roster in 2025 and beyond

Virtually every single player the Angels need to perform well in order to one day break their postseason drought is in The Show right now. While the organization has promising young players like Caden Dana, George Klassen, Sam Aldegheri, Denzer Guzman, Ryan Johnson etc. at their affiliates, the Angels have shown that the high priority players will be on the big league team no matter what...despite their age or inexperience. Whoever the Angels draft with the second pick in the MLB Draft will likely make his way to the big leagues by the end of the season.

What the Angels have going for them in historic fashion is the sheer volume of first round picks that can contribute for them here in 2025 and beyond. The Halos just used eight first rounders they selected in the same game, which has not happened since 1991. Very few teams are this reliant on their drafted players, as weird as that is to say. When a team uses a first round pick on a player, the expectation is that the blossom into an integral member of the franchise for many years. The Angels have that...maybe more than any other team in terms of quanity?

With all this in mind, let's rank which of the eight first rounders they have on the roster in terms of how good and valuable they are right now and how much the Angels need them in order to win moving forward.

1. Zach Neto

13th selection of the 2022 MLB Draft

The Angels' shortstop blend of performance this year and how much better he can get moving forward lands him here in the top spot. Of the Angels' lineup regulars (excluding Yoán Moncada's 30 games, Christian Moore and Matthew Lugo) Neto leads the team in batting average and SLG. He also leads the 2025 Angels in fWAR and purely offensive fWAR. Taylor Ward leads the team with 16 doubles, and Neto has 15 despite playing in 17 fewer games. Ward also leads the team with 137 total bases, and Neto ranks second there too with 121.

If Neto has to head back to the injured list for a significant amount of time after re-injuring his shoulder, Angels fans might punt on the entire season. He was on pace to lead the Angels in many statistical categories for the second straight season. Given the importance of the shortstop position, his age and how darn good and well-rounded Neto is, he is clearly the organization's no. one boy. Protect him at all costs (he can have my shoulder)

2. Nolan Schanuel

11th selection of the 2023 MLB Draft

Coming into 2025, Angels fans had reasonable expectations for their first baseman. Schanuel has blown all of those out of the water, and has improved so much in such a short amount of time. Whenever the 23-year-old steps to the plate, he is going to turn in a veteran at bat that very often will wind up with him on base. Furthermore, Schanuel is the most clutch player on the roster.

Over the offseason, Schanuel was open about how he was going to sell out some more for bat speed. As a result, his SLG has sky-rocketed this season. His batting average and OBP have even improved, and he does lead the Angels in OBP so far this year. While the gains in bat speed, hard-hit rate and exit velocity are marginal, they are still getting better.

3. Mike Trout

25th selection of the 2009 MLB Draft

Trout's one of the hardest players to rank here, but the veteran is such a presence in the lineup that putting him outside of the top three most valuable Angels felt hasty. The Angels' DH is signed through the 2030 season, so hopefully he keeps adding value moving forward. His numbers and availability are not trending well, but he is still providing fans with hope this season.

Trout leads the team in OBP in June, and his underlying metrics concerning his swing speed and barrel rates are all promising. He is the heartbeat of the Angels' roster and face of the franchise, and he could for sure make the playoffs for the second time in his career if he can turn back the clock production-wise the next couple months.

4. Reid Detmers

10th selection of the 2020 MLB Draft

Detmers' 2025 season is a sight for sore eyes. Many expected the southpaw to become a Cy Young candidate one day when he first was called up to the big leagues a few years ago. He has faltered in the past two seasons, but his stuff has been unlocked in a major way now that he has been moved out of the starting rotation.

Detmers could easily be the team's closer sooner rather than later, that's how good he's been in his new role. Whether or not he starts for the team again is a separate conversation, but his game has clicked this year and he is proving to be one of the more dominant pitchers in the sport. Any talk of the Angels trading him is utterly ludicrous.

5. Christian Moore

8th selection of the 2024 MLB Draft

This one is pure speculation, so let's keep it short and simple: the kid is a stud, he plays a marquee position and is the ultimate adrenaline shot. His defense at the highest has been very good in a small sample size. He is incredibly clutch, all three of his home runs have been either to tie a game from the 7th inning on...or to win a game. He should be spinning double plays with Neto for a long, long time.

6. Taylor Ward

26th selection of the 2015 MLB Draft

Ward is more of a quantity player rather than quality. The quality of play is solid, but his availability is his best ability...which is obviously massive. He has played in more games this year than any of his teammates both this year and last year.

Ward's value moving forward might just be what Perry Minasian could turn him into. His contract expires after the 2026 season, so who knows if he winds up being an Angels player for life if he does survive the trade deadline. Ward is an aging left fielder and his defense is getting worse, so there might not be room in the financials or roster to keep him around long-term.

All that being said, his ability to put balls in seats this season has been breathtaking. He's been with this franchise for ten years now, and has provided far more value than what was expected.

7. Jo Adell

10th selection of the 2017 MLB Draft

Recency bias is so powerful. The Jo Show has 10 home runs in June, which is a historic amount for this franchise. The urge to move him up on this list is so strong.

However, the outfield defense is improved but still lackluster. Adell is certainly not a great bet to man centerfield moving forward, the team's reticent to play him a position other than right field given what they have seen. The swing and miss/bad swing decisions will likely never go away. The K% and BB%s are what they are.

Despite his ranking, Adell is obviously a valuable member of the team. Anytime you have an outfielder who could turn in 20+ home runs pre-All-Star break, that's a wonderful thing. He's just not the most trustworthy player, despite the personal growth and immense tools.

8. Sam Bachman

9th selection of the 2021 MLB Draft

Speaking of potential future closers, how about Bachman's resurgenct season? For a long time, it appeared that 2025 was going to be another lost season for the Miami of Ohio product. However, virtually every one of his MLB and MiLB outings have been perfect when he was finally able to get back on the mound. No one is going to bet on his health, but when he posts he's fantastic. Bachman, Detmers and Joyce would be great anchors for the Angels' bullpen for years to come if they can all just stay healthy.

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