Best draft picks in Los Angeles Angels history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Los Angeles Angels history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Mike Clevinger
- Draft: 135th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 156
- Career stats: 60 wins, 3.51 earned run average, 1.21 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.4

#24. Roberto Hernández
- Draft: 16th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,010
- Career stats: 67 wins, 3.45 earned run average, 1.37 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.5

#23. Dick Schofield
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1981
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,368
- Career stats: 56 home runs, .230 batting average, .624 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.8

#22. Bruce Bochte
- Draft: 34th overall pick in 1972
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,538
- Career stats: 100 home runs, .282 batting average, .756 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.4

#20. Jim Abbott (tie)
- Draft: 8th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 263
- Career stats: 87 wins, 4.25 earned run average, 1.43 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 19.6

#20. Mark McLemore (tie)
- Draft: 218th overall pick in 1982
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,832
- Career stats: 53 home runs, .259 batting average, .690 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.6

#19. Marty Pattin
- Draft: 127th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 475
- Career stats: 114 wins, 3.62 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#18. Damion Easley
- Draft: 767th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,706
- Career stats: 163 home runs, .253 batting average, .733 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.5

#17. Mike Witt
- Draft: 92nd overall pick in 1978
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 341
- Career stats: 117 wins, 3.83 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.6

#16. Tom Brunansky
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,800
- Career stats: 271 home runs, .245 batting average, .761 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.0

#15. Garret Anderson
- Draft: 125th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,228
- Career stats: 287 home runs, .293 batting average, .785 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.7

#14. Mike Napoli
- Draft: 500th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,392
- Career stats: 267 home runs, .246 batting average, .821 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.3

#13. Jarrod Washburn
- Draft: 31st overall pick in 1995
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 312
- Career stats: 107 wins, 4.1 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 28.2

#12. Darin Erstad
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1995
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,654
- Career stats: 124 home runs, .282 batting average, .743 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.3

#11. Jered Weaver
- Draft: 12th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 331
- Career stats: 150 wins, 3.63 earned run average, 1.19 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 34.6

#10. Howie Kendrick
- Draft: 294th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,621
- Career stats: 127 home runs, .294 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 35.0

#9. Wally Joyner
- Draft: 67th overall pick in 1983
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 2,033
- Career stats: 204 home runs, .289 batting average, .802 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 35.8

#8. John Lackey
- Draft: 68th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 448
- Career stats: 188 wins, 3.92 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 37.3

#7. Troy Glaus
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1997
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,537
- Career stats: 320 home runs, .254 batting average, .848 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.1

#5. Tim Salmon (tie)
- Draft: 69th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,672
- Career stats: 299 home runs, .282 batting average, .884 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.5

#5. Carney Lansford (tie)
- Draft: 49th overall pick in 1975
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,862
- Career stats: 151 home runs, .290 batting average, .753 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.5

#4. Devon White
- Draft: 132nd overall pick in 1981
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,941
- Career stats: 208 home runs, .263 batting average, .739 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 47.3

#3. Frank Tanana
- Draft: 13th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 638
- Career stats: 240 wins, 3.66 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 57.1

#2. Jim Edmonds
- Draft: 169th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,011
- Career stats: 393 home runs, .284 batting average, .903 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 60.4

#1. Mike Trout
- Draft: 25th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Centerfielder
- Games played: 1,518
- Career stats: 378 home runs, .299 batting average, .991 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 86.1

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.