Could the Angels' Draft strategy change under new interim GM Mozeliak?

ANAHEIM -- When the Angels made the decision to dismiss Perry Minasian as general manager and bring in longtime former Cardinals executive John Mozeliak as interim GM on June 26, it came at a critical time ahead of the MLB Draft and Trade Deadline.

The Angels have the No. 12 overall selection in this year’s Draft and have four picks on Day 1, which is composed of the first four rounds on Saturday before Rounds 5-20 will take place on Sunday. Mozeliak, who spent 30 years with the Cardinals, including 18 as GM, understands the importance of improving the organization through the Draft and said he plans to trust the club’s current scouting department led by scouting Tim McIlvaine to make the selections.

“My philosophy on the Draft is let the scouting director and his team do their jobs,” Mozeliak said. “Even when I sat in that seat for 18 years as a general manager, I never scouted amateur players. I felt that was their responsibility, so they're going to have a lot of autonomy to do it.”

• Day 1 picks: 12, 45, 81, 109
• Bonus pool allotment: $11,755,400
• Last year’s top pick: Tyler Bremner, SP, pick 2 ... A bit of a surprise selection but Bremner flashed a big fastball and a plus-plus changeup at UC Santa Barbara to get the nod. The 22-year-old worked to develop a better slider during Spring Training. He dealt with some fatigue earlier this season, but he has been impressive with High-A Tri-City, posting a 4.24 ERA with 48 strikeouts and nine walks in 34 innings.
• Breakout 2025 pick: Johnny Slawinski, SP, pick 79 ... one of the top prep lefties available, Slawinski slipped to the third round, where the Angels signed him to an overslot deal worth $2.5 million. With a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball that touches 95 mph with impeccable control, the 19-year-old has posted a 3.30 ERA with 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 46 1/3 innings in the Arizona Complex League.

Under Minasian, the Angels often selected players considered close to reaching the Majors, such as such as right-hander Sam Bachman in 2021, shortstop Zach Neto in '22, first baseman Nolan Schanuel in '23, infielder/outfielder Christian Moore in '24 and Bremner last year. All of those first-round selections were college players and they’re all on the current roster, outside of Moore -- who was recently optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after a brief stint in the Majors -- and Bremner, who could join the rotation as soon as next year.

But under the new leadership, the Angels could be more open to taking a high school player with their first pick. The latest mock Draft from MLB.com, however, still had them going with LSU outfielder Derek Curiel with the No. 12 overall selection with other options including Florida right-hander Liam Peterson, Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia, Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese, Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell, Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopin and Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron.

The Angels don’t have any compensation picks this year, but they will still have the No. 45, the No. 81 and the No. 109 selections on Day 1. They could look to add to their position player mix, as their farm system is considered heavy on arms, but lighter on bats.

Mozeliak said he’ll lean on the current staff for input on what the organizations needs and who will be the best fits for the system. In recent years, the Angels have also been creative in signing players such as Chase Silseth, Caden Dana, Ben Joyce, Dylan Jordan, Trey Gregory-Alford, Barrett Kent, Ryan Johnson, Johnny Slawinski and CJ Gray to overslot deals, and Mozeliak said he’ll talk with the scouting department on how they want to allocate their bonus pool money.

“The only real input I'm going to have is, first off, understanding their process,” Mozeliak said. “With the Cardinals, we proved that we had a very good one over time and we’ll try to mirror that if we can. And then if there are some financial decisions that are being baked into who we pick and why, but otherwise, it’s going to be their job to do it. And I'm excited to learn from them and see how they do it. But in the end, you have to get the Draft right.”