The Angels came away from the 2026 draft with plenty of praise, and Jared Grindlinger is a big reason why. Their first-round pick was already viewed as one of the class’s more promising prep talents, but Baseball America still pegged him as one of the draft’s best values. That kind of label is rare for a teenager, and it’s part of why the comparisons around him have gotten so loud.
John Coppolella of Baseball America drew a line from Grindlinger to some of the sport’s biggest names.
"Grindlinger reminds me of Riley, and a little bit of Freeman and even some Jac Caglianone, as a two-way player with a big offensive upside. Riley was a young 18-year-old when the Braves drafted him, but Grindlinger is younger still.
He turned 17 years old on April 16 this year and will already be in his second pro season before he turns 18. Grindlinger already is projectable at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and likely is not done growing," Baseball America's John Coppolella wrote.
That’s a serious list of comps. Freddie Freeman is a 10-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 2020.
Austin Riley was one of baseball’s most dangerous sluggers from 2021 through 2023 before injuries slowed him down. Jac Caglianone is already one of the game’s most exciting young hitters.
For a first-rounder to land in that neighborhood says plenty about the kind of upside evaluators see.
What makes Grindlinger even more intriguing is that he’s not just a bat-and-glove teenager learning on the fly. He was a real pitching prospect too, and that background should give him a sharper feel for how pitchers think. Los Angeles will use him in the outfield first and not on the mound for now, but that two-way experience could matter right away at the plate.
Baseball America’s read is that understanding should help him recognize the patterns pitchers use to get hitters out. A lot of young bats can handle velocity, but the challenge comes when pitchers start mixing, sequencing, and setting traps. Grindlinger’s experience on the mound could make him more prepared for that than the typical high school hitter.
That matters for the Angels, especially after years in which the organization under Perry Minasian was criticized for moving players too quickly through the minors. That approach is expected to be gone now that John Mozeliak is running things, and that shift should help. But it doesn’t mean the club can’t benefit from a prospect who may not need the same kind of long runway.
Grindlinger was going to be one of the youngest players in next year’s draft if he had stayed put, but he reclassified to enter this year’s class. Even with that age, he already has a frame that looks built for more, and Baseball America noted he may still be growing.
So the Angels may have landed something pretty valuable here: a high-upside teenager with a skill set that feels more advanced than his birth certificate suggests. If Grindlinger comes anywhere close to the major leaguers he’s being compared to, this pick could end up looking like one of the steals of the 2026 draft.
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