Worst Draft Class: Los Angeles Angels
2 of 3
02: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
47: Chase Shores, RHP, LSU
79: Johnny Slawinski, LHP, Johnson City HS (TX)
105: Nate Snead, RHP, Tennessee
109: Jake Munroe, 3B, Louisville
To be clear, the margin between “best” and “worst” is extremely thin right after the draft, and it can be very subjective. The Los Angeles Angels, for example, surprised most by taking UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner second overall.
It’s not that Bremner isn’t an intriguing prospect who could easily work out in the majors. It was a surprising choice because most viewed Kade Anderson as the top pitcher in the 2025 class and several other prospects were valued over Bremner.
It would seem that, for the Angels, the Bremner selection was about landing a player below slot value.
“This decision was still likely rooted in a widely held belief that the top talent of this draft wasn’t as elite as most other years,” The Athletic’s Sam Blum wrote. “And that created an incentive to sign a player below the $10.25 million slot value, with the hope of adding good players later in the draft.”
The problem for Los Angeles is that the club doesn’t have the strongest track record of developing pitchers. The Angeles used their next three selections on pitchers, likely as insurance after the Bremner pick, and there is some interesting potential among the group. However, L.A. took a bit of a risk with LSU righty Chase Shores, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023.
“The 6’8″, 245-pound righty battled inconsistent command in his return this spring, but still punched out 70 hitters in 63.2 innings,” Reuter wrote. “He still has premium stuff, including a 101 mph fastball, but there is a wide range of potential outcomes for his future.”
Now, the draft could easily work out for the Angels, and with 21 total prospects, the class is unlikely to be an overall bust. In terms of value, though, it’s hard to love what L.A. did over the last two days.
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