The 15 worst Los Angeles Angels draft picks in franchise history

As a franchise, the Angels are exactly where you do not want to find yourself -- their major league team cannot make the postseason and they have far from an elite farm system. While the Angels have a built-in excuse for poor prospect rankings, in that they promote their talented youngsters to the big leagues aggressively thus removing them from the equation, the optics of having both the longest postseason drought in baseball and the single worst farm system (according so many reputable sites) are enough to make Halo fans moan and groan constantly.

With the Angels holding the second overall pick in the MLB Draft this year, there are already a lot of eyes on what the team might do come July 13th. Perhaps this time around, the Angels can boost both their MLB and MiLB talent by picking second in every round of this draft. This is quite possibly the most important selection in franchise history, as they have not selected a player this high since they grabbed Darin Erstad first overall in 1995. This pick undoubtedly needs to be a home run, there are few teams in baseball more desperate for talent than the Los Angeles Angels.

While none of these players were picked as high as this year's first round pick will be, the Angels are best to avoid repeating these mistakes. The following are in no particular order.

Will Wilson: Through no fault of his own, Wilson finds himself starting off this list. The Angels made him their future up the middle, drafting him 15th in 2019. And while he has only had 26 at-bats in the MLB so far, it was the divorce between him and the Halos that lands him on this list.

In order to get off of Zach Cozart's albatross contract, former general manager Billy Eppler attached Wilson in order for the Giants to take on Cozart's contract entirely. It stands as a defining moment of Arte Moreno's cheap ownership, as well as Eppler's ineptitude at the helm.

Brandon Wood: Drafted 23rd overall in 2003, Wood represented the next generation of Halo greats. The organization's first draft pick following their championship in 2002, Wood took just under 500 at-bats for the Halos. A career slash line of .168/.197/.259 for the Halos says all one needs to know about Wood.

Sean Newcomb: While he was a useful part of the trade for Andrelton Simmons, Newcomb had much higher expectations from Halo fans as soon as he was drafted in 2014. He was projected to be a top starter for the Halos throughout the rest of the 2010's, the successor to the Jered Weaver era, and it just never came to fruition for Newcomb and the Halos.

Jo Adell: While technically the time is not up for Adell's Halo career, it seems more likely he won't make it past the trade deadline as an Angel than proving his worth as a former top ten pick. Adell was once ranked as the sixth best prospect in all of baseball, lauded for his immense power and physical attributes.

For the past six seasons Angels fans have been stuck in a constant "will he/wont he" with Adell. But the simple truth is that Adell is never going to be the successor to Mike Trout we once envisioned.

Kaleb Cowart: While there was a season where one could make the case Cowart was a serviceale utility-man off the bench, he only ever hit above the Mendoza Line once in his career. And while he played a handful of positions, he was average at best on the field.

Trevor Bell: Drafted out of high school in 2005, Bell quite simply never was able to put it together to become a contributor at the MLB level. He pitched in 52 games for the Angels, and while his strikeout numbers were always enough to tempt Halo fans, he was just never efficient enough to string together multiple good outings.

Jordyn Adams: Like Adell, Adams was once viewed as a key piece for the Angels outfield as Trout moved into the latter half of his career. With just 74 at-bats in his big league career, Adams never had an extra base hit for the Angels, and was granted free agency this past offseason where he signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

Adams' history (his father is an SEC football coach) fired up fans, and he even had the opportunity to pursue a collegiate and likely professional football career. His physical tools eclipsed even Jo Adell's, and he certainly covers ground in the outfield like an elite cornerback. His feel for the game just could never catch up to his talent.

Sam Bachman: When it comes to Bachman, there are a lot of encouraging signs that he can still be a productive relief pitcher once he fully returns to MLB following his thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis earlier this year. However, in simple terms, the Angels drafted Bachman over Kumar Rocker due to worries about Rocker's contract demands, and over now top prospect Andrew Painter. So even if Bachman does pan out as a reliever in Anaheim, passing up one on two great pitching prospects for him was a fatal flaw for this Angels organization. Oh, and Jackson Merrill was selected later on as well.

Matt Thaiss: The selection of Thaiss with the 16th overall pick in 2016 was doomed from the start. It was general consensus that he would not be able to stick at catcher in the big leagues, and his bat never projected to be a plus as a first baseman. This was proven as Thaiss was a merely average player for the Angels for a few years, only posting 50 extra-base hits across his six seasons in Anaheim.

Thaiss is still kicking with the Chicago White Sox, holding off Kyle Teel and former top Angels prospect Edgar Quero. He still has above average plate discipline and is lauded for his off-field leadership, but is just not an impactful big leaguer.

Alan Bannister: One of the few top-five picks in Angels history, Bannister played 12 seasons in the big leagues all over the diamond defensively. He was apart of winning teams throughout his career - none of whom were the Angels. The Angels failed to sign him, wasting one of the best chances they'd have to add young talent to their organization in the 70's.

Jon Bachanov: Drafted by the Angels in the supplementary round in 2007, Bachanov was coming off an incredible high school career and projected as a valuable reliever. He never was able to adjust to the game after being drafted, and was never able to make it to The Show for the Angels or any other team.

Joe Torres: The first Angels' draft pick of the millennium, Torres was another failed signing for the Halos. A pitcher out of Florida, Torres was signed for $2.08 million out of high school, an incredibly high amount for his draft slot then. He never was able to advance past Single-A+, and bounced around other team's minor league systems for a few years after parting with the Angels.

Chevy Clarke: Drafted during a largely successful run for the Angels' scouting department, Clarke was a rare missed opportunity for the Angels. The 2010 class was largely forgettable however, and Clarke spent a handful of years in the minor leagues before retiring in 2019.

Danny Goodwin: While he was never the worst player for the Angels, Goodwin was never able to stay on the field enough to merit a first round pick. He only ever played 63 games for the Angels, and was a league average hitter during that time.

Billy Taylor: After being drafted 7th overall, Taylor spent a few years in the Angels minor league system. The outfielder was just never good enough to merit promotions and only lasted a few seasons in the minor leagues.

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