The Los Angeles Angels added four pitchers on Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft, including right-hander Tyler Bremner out of the University of California, Santa Barbara with the No. 2 overall pick.
Bremner was a shocking pick for the Angels at No. 2, as he was ranked No. 18 among all prospects by MLB Pipeline ahead of the draft. After the Washington Nationals selected shortstop Eli Willits with the first overall pick, the Angels had their pick of the litter.
But given that the Angels have been known to rush players through their system, they went with who many considered to be the most pro-ready pitcher in the 2025 draft class.
Bremner, 21, pitched three seasons at UCSB, but only had one season as a full-time starter in 2025. He tossed 77.1 innings over 14 starts, finishing with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.022 WHIP and 111 strikeouts compared with 19 walks. On the 20-80 scouting scale, he has a 65 fastball and changeup with a 50 slider and a 55 overall grade. It would not be surprising at all to see Bremner debut with the Angels by the start of next season, or even earlier.
The Angels also added two more college pitchers and a high school pitcher in the second and third rounds. In Round 2, they took Louisiana State University right-hander Chase Shores.
Shores is a towering 6-foot-8-inch with a hard fastball, but perceived control and consistency issues. He was ranked No. 77 by MLB Pipeline, but the Angels took him at 47th, making him the second reach of their Day 1 draft class. He, like Bremner, has a 65-rated fastball. However, he does not have any other plus pitches and has a 45 control grade.
The Angels then took LHP Johnny Slawinski from Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Texas and right-hander Nate Snead from Tennessee in the third round.
Slawinski was actually rated higher than Shores by MLB Pipeline, at No. 68. He is a raw prospect out of a small town in Texas that has never produced a Major Leaguer, but could have a legitimate four-pitch mix given his grading. He does not have significant velocity — his fastball tops out at around 95 mph — but his breaking balls dip easily into the 70s, giving him a unique profile in today’s game.
Snead, meanwhile, was primarily a relief pitcher at Tennessee, but has a fastball that tops out at 101 mph.
This draft is nothing out of the ordinary for the Angels, focusing on potentially pro-ready pitching instead of developing the farm system at all levels.
Angels’ first statement of Tyler Bremner
Angels scouting director Tim McIlvane spoke about Bremner and why the team chose to take him No. 2 overall despite higher-ranked prospects available, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“We’ve been following Tyler for years,” said scouting director Tim McIlvaine. “We really like Tyler’s changeup. We think it’s a pitch that, whenever he’s in trouble, he can go to that changeup. He can get outs with that. We like his fastball a lot at 98 mph, and he’s six-foot-[two] and he’s going to put on more weight. There’s a lot you can dream on.”
