MINNEAPOLIS -- The Angels selected a pair of players with last names familiar to fans, as they took shortstop Jaxon Willits with the No. 141 overall pick in the fifth round and UNLV outfielder Jack Salmon with the No. 559 overall selection in the 19th round on Day 2 of the Draft on Sunday.
Willits is the son of Reggie Willits, who played six seasons with the Angels from 2006-11, and the older brother of Eli, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Nationals in last year’s Draft and is currently MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect. And Salmon is the nephew of Angels legend Tim Salmon, who is in the franchise’s Hall of Fame and is currently a broadcaster with the club.
Jaxon, ranked as the No. 117 Draft prospect, was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player after leading the University of Oklahoma to its third College World Series title. The 6-foot, 203-pounder doesn't have a standout tool but is a switch-hitter with impressive contact and on-base skills.
“It's the makeup with him too,” Angels scouting director Tim McIlvaine said. “The dude is a winner. He's a great makeup guy. It started probably with his dad who was an Angel as well. His brother Eli went 1-1 last year, but Jaxon is a guy we've watched for years and he just seems to win. And I love that piece of it.”
He hit .313/.407/.515 with seven homers, six stolen bases and 55 RBIs in 64 games with the Sooners last year and hit .500 with one home run, four doubles, and seven RBIs in the College World Series.
The 21-year-old doesn’t offer much power and there’s a debate if he can handle shortstop defensively at the next level and could profile more as a second baseman. But he has a tremendous baseball IQ, which is evident both at the plate and in the field.
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His father Reggie, who serves as an associate coach at Oklahoma, hit .258/.356/.302 in 414 games with the Angels and finished fifth in the balloting for the AL Rookie of the Year in '07, when he slashed .293/.391/.344 in 136 games while playing solid defense in center. He was also on the club's playoff roster in '07, '08 and '09, but he went 0-for-4 at the plate and mostly served as a pinch-runner.
Salmon, meanwhile, is from nearby Newport Beach and played at Corona del Mar High School before playing collegiately for Golden West College, Hawaii and UNLV. This year, the 22-year-old batted .344/.485/.481 with three homers, 10 doubles and 32 RBIs in 49 games as a senior.
His father, Mike, played college baseball and football at USC before playing in the NFL as a defensive back with the Bills and 49ers. Salmon offers plenty of size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and is developing power to go along with his speed.
“He’s got tools, man,” McIlvaine said. “He's physical, he's got some raw power, he can run, a great clubhouse guy. We did our work on him, we had him out here at the stadium to hit and he hit some balls in the seats. Played center field, we'll bounce him around the outfield a little bit, get some versatility there.”