Breaking Down the Angels’ Best Picks From the 2026 MLB Draft
With a new front office approach, the Angels added a talented group of prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft, providing a boost to an improving farm system.
The Los Angeles Angels just completed their first draft with interim general manager John Mozeliak at the helm after a pretty disappointing stretch of seasons with Perry Minasian running the team. Mozeliak and the scouting department did a great job, producing one of the best draft classes this year — a huge step forward for an Angels farm system that continues to climb the rankings.
The last five draft classes were products of former general manager Perry Minasian, who held the position from the winter of 2020 until recently being dismissed in June. Even though the Angels haven’t been competitive at all for years, Minasian actually managed a couple of good draft classes during his tenure.
As a new chapter began, there was a new sense of excitement heading into this year’s draft knowing that Mozeliak would bring a different approach to this year’s draft. Immediately after joining the organization, Mozeliak stated that they were to take the best player available at each pick no matter the position, while also giving reins to Tim McIlvaine and the scouting department to let them do their jobs.
I’ll highlight what I think were the Angels’ eight best draft picks from their 2026 class and what each individual brings to the table. For the class as a whole, there are a ton of local connections to California, which is pretty cool to see.
You’ll notice that most of the hitters selected have a contact-first approach, which is a dire need for an Angels ball club that relies so much on home runs for scoring. And then as always, a good group of college and prep arms that’ll further bolster the Angels’ pitching depth.
12. Jared Grindlinger, OF/RHP | Huntington Beach High School
After selecting a college player in the first round for eight straight drafts, the Angels finally flipped the script by selecting two-way prepster Jared Grindlinger with the 12th overall pick.
Grindlinger, 17, attended high school only 19 miles from Angel Stadium. He was a two-way player in high school handling both pitching and outfield duties and was exceptional at both positions — he’s a lefty pitcher and batter, further boosting his value.
He was originally supposed to be part of the 2027 draft class but reclassified to be draft-eligible this year and was committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee.
Pitching is Grindlinger’s strong suit but he’s still a very respectable outfielder and hitter. Even though he was a two-way player in high school, the Angels plan to start him off solely in the outfield with an option to move him to pitching down the road. His best two pitches are his low-90s fastball and low-80s changeup to go along with an above-average slider. Scouts love his fastball, which has reached 97 mph.
Looking into the position player side of Grindlinger, he’s a contact-oriented bat who won’t hit for much power. Although standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 190 pounds, he still has a frame to fill out, which will help him down the road. He’s got below-average speed, but offers plus defense and a 60-grade arm. He set the standard of the Angels’ 2026 draft class that values a contact-first approach.
45. Jarren Advincula, 2B | Georgia Institute of Technology
Advincula is a prospect I’ve liked for a while and has the ability to be a solid major leaguer down the road. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills that resulted in a personal collegiate-best .434 batting average during his junior season with Georgia Tech.
Across three collegiate seasons, spending time with California and Georgia Tech, Advincula only struck out at an incredible 7.5% rate, further demonstrating that he is one of the better contact hitters in this year’s draft class. Even though power isn’t really a part of his game, Advincula did manage 10 home runs this past season with Georgia Tech, where he previously combined for 11 home runs during his first two college seasons.
He’s a true second baseman and will likely remain there due to his below-average arm strength. Advincula is a very good defender at second and will provide solid defense in affiliated ball.
81. Gavin Grahovac, 3B | Texas A&M University
The Angels got very lucky that an athlete like Grahovac fell to the Angels in the third round. He spent three seasons with Texas A&M, but missed his sophomore season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. When he was on the field, he absolutely mashed.
Between three collegiate seasons with at least 270 plate appearances in both his freshman and junior years, Grahovac slugged 47 total home runs along with 33 doubles and three triples. Not only did he hit for power, but he also hit for average, posting a .313 clip in college.
He played third base during his time at Texas A&M but it’s been said that he might be a better long-term fit at first base or a corner outfield spot. Grahovac has a plus arm, which is good for third base, but he’s got below-average speed and his overall defensive tool is slightly below average.
109. Rylan Lujo, OF | University of Georgia
After only two college seasons split between Dayton and Georgia, Ryan Lujo got his name called by the Angels in the fourth round. As a product of the powerhouse Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, aside from the power, he showed a range of plus tools.
Lujo has good bat-to-ball skills resulting in his impressive .359 batting average in college while only striking out in 8.8% of his plate appearances. He does frequently expand the zone, which led to his subpar 7.5% walk rate.
Even without being graded as having the best power, he did manage 14 home runs this past season with Georgia, but isn’t projected to be a power hitter in affiliated ball due to his current smaller frame. Lujo has solid speed and proved to be a steady defender playing both third base and center field in college.
141. Jaxon Willits, SS | University of Oklahoma
Yes, Jaxon Willits is the older brother of last year’s first overall pick Eli Willits.
Although he doesn’t quite have the elite toolset of his brother, he could end up being a steal of the draft. While the Angels took him in the fifth round, there were rumblings of him being selected higher, potentially around rounds two or three.
He’s a solid player across the board and performed exceptionally well across three seasons with the University of Oklahoma. Willits is a switch-hitter and has the reputation for being a contact-over-power guy, hence only 26 collegiate home runs.
This is also partially due to the fact that he doesn’t lift the ball consistently. With his contact-first approach, Willits batted .313 this past season to go along with 30 extra-base hits, 55 runs driven in, and a .922 OPS.
He has a great feel for the game and controls the zone during his plate appearances. Overall, Willits showed good vision at the plate in college, owning a 13.9% walk rate while only striking out at an 18% rate. He’ll make pitchers work during an at-bat and won’t go down easily.
170. Justin Byrd, RHP | University of Georgia
During his senior season at the University of Georgia, we finally got to see a complete season from Justin Byrd. After pitching just 40.2 innings across his first three collegiate seasons with USC Aiken and the University of Georgia, Byrd made 27 appearances in 2026, with almost all of them coming in relief.
Over 62.2 innings this season out of the Georgia bullpen serving as the team’s closer, Byrd proved to be effective owning a 3.73 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He mainly relied on a mid-90s fastball and low-80s sweeper, but occasionally mixed in a mid-80s changeup.
Byrd did a good job inducing whiffs, leading to 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings, while keeping the walks limited to two per nine innings. He had a lot of hype heading into the draft, and he will have the chance to be a starter in the Angels’ system.
289. Luc Rising, RHP | Northeastern University
After playing three years of Division III ball with Rochester Tech, located in New York, Luc Rising transferred to Northeastern University where he pitched to a 3.54 ERA across 16 appearances, including 13 starts. Rising brings a ton of energy and emotion to the mound, which makes him a very entertaining watch.
He works with a four-pitch arsenal consisting of a lively fastball sitting in the low-90s, an upper-70s curveball, a high-80s sweeper, and a lower-80s changeup. His stuff worked well in college as a starter, but industry officials project him to be a reliever at the major league level.
His stuff isn’t gonna drive a lot of swing-and-miss, only striking out 24.3% of batters during his season at Northeastern. Rising has an average feel for the zone and can generally control his pitches, keeping his walk rate down to 7%.
Keep in mind that the Northeastern University pitching staff produced current Yankees ace Cam Schlittler.
439. Cameron Jackson, SS | Georgia Premier High School
Cameron Jackson could end up being a pretty good pick down the road, but only if he decides to sign with the Angels. Given his commitment to the University of Oklahoma and the fact that he was selected in the 15th round, it could be difficult to sign him to a contract.
Putting that aside, Jackson is a switch-hitting shortstop who comes from the same high school as Angels prospect Raudi Rodriguez. He is known to have a solid approach at the plate and has the ability to drive the ball into the gaps. He has a clean swing and good bat speed, which could help translate his offensive production from high school to higher levels of play.
Between his plus speed and known ability to make the difficult plays, Jackson is projected to stay at shortstop long term, increasing his overall value. Jackson is able to make difficult throws when off-balance due to his superior coordination and balance.
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Cade is a recent high school graduate. He currently writes for Just Baseball while also contributing to InsideHalos. He has previous experience writing for Grand Central…