When Los Angeles Angels director of amateur scouting Matt Swanson took 10 college pitchers in the first 10 rounds of the 2021 MLB Draft, he wasn’t even fully aware until the seventh round. He laughed when asked if he would keep it going by drafting 10 more pitchers during Day 3.
Well, he and the Angels did exactly that. In rounds 11-20, which took place on Tuesday morning, the Angels selected 10 pitchers, nine of them from college. In total — 20 selections — the Angels took 20 pitchers, 19 of them from college and just one from high school. They also took six lefties compared to 14 righties.
Swanson said that the strategy was not specifically to take 20 pitchers, but rather improve the depth of the organization by taking capable arms with diversity of skillsets, according to Jack Harris of The L.A. Times:
“I think when I look at the group it’s really diverse in their ability, but the one underlying thing is the intangibles, the competitiveness, the makeup of this group,” Swanson said. “Whether they’re starters or relievers in the long term, this is a bunch of out-getters.”
“It’s something I believe in doing,” Swanson said. “Attacking the pitching, bringing in volume.”
Swanson doubled down on this philosophy following the conclusion of the draft on Tuesday.
Swanson on taking 10 more pitchers today: "There were so many valuable pitchers to bring into the organization, just go all out on that."
He thinks a lot of the guys they took could be making an impact in the big leagues in the next few years
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) July 13, 2021
By drafting 19 college pitchers, the Angels did a couple things. First, they ensured that their picks will actually sign with them instead of returning to school, something that is always a risk with high school selections. Second, they drafted players who are as close to MLB-ready as possible, meaning there could be a lot of movement through the Minor League ranks.
Here, we’ll break down all of the Angels selections from rounds 11-20. There is also previous analysis of the Angels’ first-round selection, Sam Bachman, as well as the nine picks from rounds 2-10 on Monday.
Round 11: RHP Chase Silseth, Arizona
In Silseth’s lone season at Arizona, he put together a reasonable campaign as a starting pitcher. He pitched 97.1 innings over 18 starts, and held a 5.55 ERA to go with an 8-1 record. While that by itself is less than impressive, he did have excellent strikeout numbers, K’ing 105 batters compared to just 29 walks.
Round 12: LHP Mason Albright, IMG Academy
Albright is the only high schooler drafted by the Angels during this draft. He currently has a commitment to Virginia Tech, which he is more likely to follow through on. He is the No. 6 ranked left-handed high school pitcher in the 2021 graduating class.
Round 13: LHP Mo Hanley, Adrian College
Hanley is an intriguing prospect from Adrian College. In four seasons, he pitched a total of 108 innings, appearing in 16 games as a starter and 16 out of the bullpen. Despite such low usage, he put up great numbers. A 9-3 record, 3.17 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, and 12.6 K-per-9 should all be reason enough to look deeper into this prospect’s potential.
Round 14: LHP Eric Torres, Kansas State
Torres is a full-time reliever that put up incredible numbers during a collegiate summer league and during his final season at Kansas State. In 55.2 innings between those two seasons — over 36 appearances — he had a dazzling ERA of 2.10, striking out 81 batters while walking only 18.
Round 15: RHP Glenn Albanese, Louisville
Albanese is a behemoth, standing at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds. He had low volume as a pitcher in 2021, appearing in just four games and starting in three of them. Over 17 innings, he had a 3.71 ERA and 0.941 WHIP.
Round 16: RHP Brandon Dufault, Northeastern
Dufault is a full-time reliever who had a 3.71 ERA over 17 innings out of the bullpen. He struck out 22 in that time, but had an issue with walks, giving out 13 free passes.
Round 17: RHP Mason Erla, Michigan State
Erla is a starter from Michigan State with plenty of experience at a high level. He pitched 79.2 innings in 2021, which came over 13 starts. He went 5-6 in that time with an ERA of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.331. He struck out 80 batters while walking 37.
Round 18: LHP Nick Mondak, St. Johns (NY)
Mondak is perhaps one of the most interesting prospects the Angels selected during Day 3. Mondak actually showed negative regression during his first three seasons at St. John’s. However, something changed for his senior year, and he became dominant. In 65.2 innings over 11 starts, Mondak had an ERA of 1.92 and a WHIP of 1.234. He struck out 74 batters compared to just 20 walks.
Round 19: RHP Nathan Burns, Oregon State
Burns is a full-time reliever who spent four years at Oregon State. He had 18 appearances out of the bullpen for the Beavers in 2021, but struggled to keep runs off the board. He had a 5.16 ERA over 22.2 innings, with his biggest issues revolving around the free pass. He allowed just 17 hits all season, but walked 23 batters.
Round 20: RHP Marcelo Perez, TCU
The Angels’ final selection of the draft was a full-time reliever in three years at TCU. In his final season, he had a 4.15 ERA in 30.1 innings over 13 appearances. He struck out 33 batters while walking 14, and gave up just three home runs all season.