SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Angels haven't signed and developed an All-Star pitcher in nearly 20 years, not since giving Jordan Walden $1 million as a draft-and-folllow in 2007. That's one reason they haven't had a winning season since 2015 and have finished in the bottom five in the American League in ERA during six of the last seven years, including an AL-worst 4.89 mark in 2025.
Los Angeles has tried to address its mound shortcomings in a variety of ways, including spending all 20 of its 2021 Draft picks on pitchers. That unprecedented strategy has yielded just three big leaguers who have combined for eight wins and 155 innings in the Majors.
COMPLETE ANGELS PROSPECT COVERAGE
In the last two Drafts, the Angels have selected just two position players in the top seven rounds and invested heavily in high school arms. They have given seven-figure bonuses to four prep pitchers: $1,247,500 to fifth-rounder Dylan Jordan and $1,957,500 to 11th-rounder Trey Gregory-Alford in 2024; then $2,497,500 to second-rounder Johnny Slawinski and $1,247,500 to fifth-rounder C.J. Gray last year. They also doled out over-slot bonuses to Luke LaCourse ($512,500, sixth round), Talon Haley ($897,500, 12th round) and Xavier Mitchell ($872,500, 13th round).
All seven of those young hurlers made MLB Pipeline's new Angels Top 30 Prospects list, which includes 19 pitchers in total. The only team with more arms on its Top 30 is the Yankees, with 21. Los Angeles envisions its quantity producing quality and leading to better days ahead.
"We feel good about the depth of arms we're assembling," assistant GM in charge of player development Joey Prebynski said. "We're creating waves of pitchers at every level of the Minors, from guys who are close to the big leagues in George Klassen and Walbert Urena all the way down to upside high school arms from last year's Draft."
One of the top left-handers in the 2025 high school crop, Slawinski (Los Angeles' No. 4 prospect) offers an intriguing combination of pitches, polish and projectability. His low-90s fastball plays up, thanks to its carry and the extension in his delivery, while his upper-70s slider flashes two-plane depth and his low-80s changeup features significant fade.
"We've been really encouraged by the work Johnny put in in instructional league, the work he put in in the winter and how he came into Spring Training," Prebynski said. "He's an athletic left-handed starter with plus feel and three pitches. He's a really good competitor. We've been focusing on getting stronger and building a bigger engine."
Gray, the Angels' No. 15 prospect, was one of the most athletic and electric pitchers in the 2025 prep class, and he had scholarship offers to play quarterback at mid-major college football programs. The right-hander is quite raw but has exciting arm speed that generates fastballs up to 98 mph. Interestingly, he shows better feel for his fading changeup that sits around 80 mph than he does for his upper-70s sweeper.
"C.J. is an elite athlete with plus velocity," Prebynski said. "It's a run-over-rise four-seamer and he creates east-west separation from a lower release height. The focus is just on getting him in the zone and we'll go from there. We're trying to create a more repeatable delivery."
Perhaps the best human-interest story in last year's Draft, Haley already has overcome non-Hodgkins lymphoma as well as Tommy John and internal brace surgeries. The southpaw spins a hammer low-80s curveball and a solid mid-80s slider, while his fastball reaches 97 mph with carry and run.
"Talon is similar in repertoire to Framber Valdez," Prebynski said. "It's really good feel to spin. He's a good competitor and a great worker, one of our best. The focus right now is on his delivery and the rhythm we're asking him to create."
Camp standout: Tyler Bremner
As interesting as all of those high school arms are, there's no question that right-hander Tyler Bremner is the best pitching prospect in the system. Drafted No. 2 overall last July out of UC Santa Barbara, he has been as good as advertised this spring and worked a scoreless inning against the White Sox in his Cactus League debut. He ran his fastball to 98 mph and struck out Andrew Benintendi on his trademark changeup, and he has shown similar stuff in live batting practice and on the back fields.
Bremner has yet to pitch in an official pro game but is talented enough to force his way to the Majors this season, even without the Angels' predilection for fast-tracking their first-rounders. His main point of emphasis is to refine his slider -- and he's working on two different versions: one with more sweep and a tighter one with more velocity.
"I really want to try and be able to dump that slider in for strikes early," Bremner said. "I think the scouting report's going to be out: 'He throws a pretty hard fastball and a good changeup, be on time and adjust.' If I'm able to just land sliders early, I feel like I'm going to get a lot of free strikes with it. The harder one, I'm really trying to work on going in to lefties, get some early outs with those.
"I've come to the realization that you're not going to go out there and have four really plus pitches. It's rare, not everybody's Paul Skenes. But just having something you could show and be effective, that's going to take them off the other pitches in general. It's a work in progress, but I have a whole season coming up, so I'm excited to work on that in-game and get some reps against hitters with it."
Spring Breakout standout: Dylan Jordan
Jordan earned the start in the Angels' Spring Breakout game against the Guardians and surrendered just a walk while striking out four in two innings. The right-hander notched all four whiffs with a power sinker that parked at 96 mph and peaked at 98. He posted a 0.94 ERA in seven Single-A starts at the conclusion of his 2025 pro debut and could be ready to take off -- especially if his slider and changeup continue to progress.
"Dylan has gotten stronger -- and this spring, his velocity has ticked up a bit to 95-98," Prebynski said. "It's quality stuff and good feel for pitching. His stuff creates east-west separation from a lower slot with plus extension."
Breakout potential: Hayden Alvarez
Signed for $685,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, outfielder Hayden Alvarez slashed .340/.435/.430 with 33 steals in 75 games during his U.S. debut. He led the Arizona Complex League Angels to a Rookie-league championship and posted even better numbers during three weeks in Single-A as an 18-year-old. He already executes good swing decisions and makes consistent contact, and more power is coming.
"After finishing last year in Low-A, Hayden put a lot of work in physically," Prebynski said. "He has upside as a center fielder who can impact the game on both sides of the ball. He has a very well-rounded toolset. I think he’ll have plus raw power in time. There's still room for more physical growth and his exit velocities are increasing as he gets stronger."
Draft sleeper: Nick Rodriguez
Second baseman Nick Rodriguez earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of The Year honors in 2025 after batting .368/.444/.702 with a Missouri State-record 40-game hitting streak, the 12th-longest in NCAA Division I history. A 10th-round senior sign who turned pro for $47,500, he headed straight to Single-A and slashed .281/.396/.371 with eight steals in 27 games.
"Nick has really good baseball aptitude," Prebynski said. "He has feel to hit and plus exit velocities. He reminds me a little bit of Adam Kennedy."