The second through 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft took place on Monday, with each team adding another handful of young hopefuls to their farm system. The Los Angeles Angels, who took a second baseman in the first round of the draft with Tennessee’s Christian Moore, added 10 players in the nine rounds on Monday, using the second-round compensatory pick they received from losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency.
The Angels, never shy about their need for pitching, have often gone arm-heavy in drafts under general manager Perry Minasian. His philosophy on team building has always been that there is no such thing as too much pitching, and his draft record has reflected that.
Of the 10 players Minasian selected on Monday, eight were pitchers. All but one of the players he has drafted through two days of the 2024 draft have been college players, another trend of the Angels front office under him.
The Angels’ first second-round pick was Texas A&M right-hander Chris Cortez. It’s clear from these first two rounds that the Angels watched the College World Series closely in 2024. Moore played for the champion Tennessee Volunteers while Cortez played a major role as a multi-inning reliever for the runner-up Texas A&M Aggies.
Cortez, 21, had a 1.18 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 15.2 innings during the College World Series. He had a 2.78 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 64.2 innings on the season, overpowering hitters with a sinking fastball that touch 100 mph and sit at 96-98.
The Angels then selected right-hander Ryan Johnson out of Dallas Baptist. Johnson, 21, had a dominant junior season as a starting pitcher and may have one of the best sliders in this draft class. It’s graded at a 65 on the 20-80 scouting scale. This is the pick they received from losing Ohtani to the L.A. Dodgers in free agency.
The 2024 Conference USA pitcher of the year set Patriots records for strikeouts in a season season (151) and career (314) while finishing third in NCAA Division I in K/BB ratio (10.8).
Below is the full list of draftees for the Angels on Day 2 of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Angels Rounds 2-10 picks
Round 2: Chris Cortez, RHP, Texas A&M
Round 2C: Ryan Johnson, RHP, Dallas Baptist
Round 3: Ryan Prager, LHP, Texas A&M
Round 4: Austin Gordon, RHP, Clemson
Round 5: Dylan Jordan, RHP, Viera HS (Florida)
Round 6: Peyton Olejnik, RHP, Miami (Ohio)
Round 7: Bridger Holmes, RHP, Oregon State
Round 8: Randy Flores, SS, Alabama State
Round 9: Derek Clark, LHP, West Virginia
Round 10: Ryan Nicholson, 1B, Kentucky