The initial draft grades are in for the Los Angeles Angels’ 2025 draft class, and some of the insights the report contained are very revealing. Baseball America has been doing these reports for a long time, and Carlos Collazo did a breakdown that featured some entertaining and intriguing categories. They’re also a great way to get a snapshot look at some of the college prospects the Angels drafted, as these players usually take a while to turn up in the low minors.
Closest to the Majors and Best Secondary Pitch
Tyler Bremner is the pitcher who’s getting the most focus from fans, scouts and rivals, and he won two categories in this report. He’s the Angels top pick out of UC Santa Barbara, and the right-hander has what Collazo calls an “elite” changeup that he can use against right- and left-handers.
Moreover, Bremner shows impressive maturity in the way he uses it. He has the ability to spot his changeup, and Bremner also does a nice job of separating it from his fastball. His slider might need a little more work, but Collazo sees him as a pitcher who’s major-league ready now, which is a good thing given the way the Halos tend to rush their prospects. Bremner has been a high-level college starter with a track record, so it will be interesting to see how he fares when the Angels get to spring training.
Best Athlete
Johnny Slawinski is a name Angels fans have been seeing on prospect lists for a while, and the left-handed hurler has a four-pitch mix that should play well as a starter. Part of the reason Slawinski gets noticed is because he was a star athlete in Texas as a high school player, excelling in baseball, football, basketball and track. He’s a year or two away in terms of a rotation projection, but Slawinski should get even more impressive given that he still has room to add weight and muscle to his frame.
Best Pro Debut and Best Power Hitter
Third baseman Slate Alford of Georgia also got mentioned in two categories, and for good reason. He hit 36 home runs in the last two seasons for the Bulldogs to go with a high-end exit velocity of around 115 mph.
Alford showed more all-around skills in the low minors, which is noteworthy given the transition to wooden bats. He slashed .289/.435/.433 with a pair of home runs, a triple and six doubles in 28 games with Low-A Inland Empire, so he should be moving up to Double A very soon.