The Angels found their next ace by drafting prep arm in 3rd round of MLB Draft

When the Angels drafted Tyler Bremner at No. 2 overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, two things happened. First, people were outraged. Then, they took a deep breath, realized Bremner is an incredibly talented pitcher, and looked at what the Angels would do with the extra bonus money they could use in the rounds to come. And the Angels hit an absolute home run in the third round by selecting Johnny Slawinski.

Weaver...Santana...Slawinski

Coming out of a small town in Texas, Johnny Slawinski has grown up playing baseball on fields that most prep players would not step foot on. That grit follows the young south paw onto the mound. His hometown - Johnson City - has never had a MLB player come out of it. In fact, Slawinski is the first player from Johnson City to even be drafted.

And he hopes to put his city on his back as he becomes the next great Angels ace.

Standing at 6'3" and only 180 pounds, the first step for Slawinski is going to be filling out his frame. At just 18 years old, he has plenty of time to do so. He certainly is not one of the 2025 draftees that fans can expect to see in Anaheim soon. All four of his main pitches are exceptional, and the velocity that will come with his frame filling out is going to turn Slawinski into an absolute menace on the mound in Anaheim. Perry Minasian (or whoever is running the Angels' front office these nextfew years) will have to be patient, but the upper tier of outcomes for Slawinski involves a lot of Opening Day starts for the Angels.

His fastball has a significant amount of movement on it, making it a plus pitch even if it tops out at 95 MPH. His breaking balls - a slider that is his second best pitcher and a curveball that is solid but wild at times - are both viewed as future plus offerings as Slawinski develops. What could really take him over the top is the development of his change-up. A newer pitch, it falls off and fades very nicely and Slawinski has shown early signs of it becoming an incredible weapon to round out an elite, thourough arsenal.

The big bump Slawinski gets is due to him being from a small town. California prep prospects get access to technology and coaching that Slawinski simply could not use until now. Once he is working with professional coaches, technology, and development teams the ceiling for Slawinski's potential could be blown off.

With a smooth, mature delivery and an four-some of pitches that should only improve as he matures and gets advanced coaching, Johnny Slawinski is a name Angels fans need to remember, and soon could be one they'll never forget.

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