The Angels may finally be headed toward a draft approach that looks a little less frantic and a lot more sensible.
With John Mozeliak expected to run the 2026 MLB Draft as interim general manager for what should be a one-year stint, Los Angeles is in a strange spot. Mozeliak built a strong reputation with the St.
Louis Cardinals, and the expectation is that he’ll make steadier calls than Perry Minasian did. But there’s still something awkward about handing the draft to a lame-duck interim.
That matters because the Angels’ recent draft habits have been pretty clear. Under Minasian, the club kept chasing pro-ready players it could move quickly through the farm system and into Anaheim. That strategy did produce some wins - Zach Neto is a star, and Nolan Schanuel has become an everyday first baseman - but more often than not, it left the organization reaching for talent and paying for it.
Baseball America’s latest mock draft suggests a different path might be coming.
In that projection, the Angels take college left-hander Mason Edwards at No. 12. Edwards is about to turn 21, and while he’s still a work in progress, he brings the kind of upside that can change a draft class if the development goes right.
Mozeliak has already made his philosophy plain: he wants to draft the best player available. For a rebuilding team, that’s the right instinct, especially in the early rounds.
At first glance, Edwards might look like more of the same for the Angels. He’s a college pitcher, which has long been a familiar type of target for the organization, and he isn’t generally viewed as a top-20 lock. That could make him seem like another candidate to sign below slot and hurry upward.
But Edwards is not just another college arm. Baseball America lists him as its reigning College Pitcher of the Year, and his stock has climbed thanks in large part to a 42.7% strikeout rate.
That number stands out even more because he’s done it without overpowering velocity; his fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s. What has evaluators interested is the broader package - a deep arsenal and improving control.
His age also changes the equation. Because he’s still so young, there’s no reason to force the timeline.
The better move would be to let him build toward a starter’s workload while sharpening his secondary pitches. If he signs for below the No. 12 slot value of $5,889,300, that would also give the Angels more flexibility to work through the rest of their class, which includes two other top-100 picks and five selections overall in the top 150.
If the mock proves right, Edwards would be a strong way to set the tone for Mozeliak’s one-and-done draft. And even with the best-player-available approach guiding the weekend, the Angels are expected to have other options in play too, including a first-round high schooler.
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