Looking ahead to the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft set to take place in July, the Los Angeles Angels were awarded a pick just outside of the top 10 following the MLB Draft lottery.
Tuesday marked the first-ever draft lottery in league history, which was held at the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Calif. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, and the Oakland Athletics all entered with a 16.5% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, and it was the Pirates who ultimately won the top slot.
The first six picks were decided via lottery selection thanks to a shift in the rules to deter teams from tanking with all 18 non-playoff teams having a chance to win the No. 1 pick. The Angels had a 1.8% shot, but because of the new measure, were awarded the 11th pick.
In any other year, the Angels and general manager Perry Minasian would’ve been in possession of the 10th pick, but they had a difficult run at a top-6 selection. After landing Zach Neto with the 13th pick in last year’s MLB Draft, they’ll be selecting around the same spot, but could have a different approach heading in.
The organization made a point to come to terms with nearly all of their prospects in the 2022 Draft, a necessary move for a farm system that hasn’t seen much of a step forward in quite some time. The Angels do not own a competitive balance selection due to not extending the qualifying offer to any player. Still, after signing Tyler Anderson who declined his own QO, the Dodgers will receive one after the fourth round.
Angels select four players in Rule 5 Draft
The Angels selected catcher Ronaldo Flores and right-hander, Willian Suarez from the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the San Francisco Giants, center fielder Jared Olivia from the Altoona Curve of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Riley Unroe from the Arkansas Travelers of the Seattle Mariners during the MLB Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.
The organization also lost Zach Linginfelter from Rocket City Trash Pandas to Leigh Valley IronPigs of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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