Angels Projected to Take College Lefty in New Mock MLB Draft

About the only certainty surrounding the No. 2 pick in the draft is that the Angels won't wait long to promote him to the major leagues.

That's been the team's habit under general manager Perry Minasian, at least. Since Minasian was appointed general manager in November 2020, four players have essentially provided the model for the Angels’ aggressive approach: Chase Silseth, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, and Ryan Johnson. All reached the big leagues in less than a year after being drafted.

A fifth, second baseman Christian Moore, will do just that on Friday.

Who will the Angels take with the second pick of the MLB Draft in July? Two new mock drafts dropped Thursday, and both mentioned one name: LSU pitcher Kade Anderson.

Baseball America projected the Angels to pick the junior left-hander. Keith Law of The Athletic did not, but he notes "everyone expects the Angels to take (Liam) Doyle or Kade Anderson and then put whoever they select in the majors before the ink is dry on the contract.” (Law projected the Angels to pick Doyle, a pitcher for the University of Tennessee.

Anderson, 20, had Tommy John surgery in April 2022. He returned to pitch in 18 games for the Tigers in 2024, going 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA. Impressively, he struck out 59 batters in 38.1 innings.

Anderson was even better as a sophomore in 2025. He saw his walk rate decrease (4.7 per nine innings to 2.4), his strikeout rate increase (13.9 per nine to 14.2) and allowed only 85 hits in 103 innings. Anderson is 10-1 with a 3.58 ERA in 17 games (17 starts).

LSU begins play at the College World Series this Saturday against Arkansas in Omaha, Nebraska. Anderson is expected to start for LSU.

Anderson is draft-eligible as a sophomore because he turns 21 on July 6, one week before the MLB Draft. The first round begins July 13 in Atlanta.

According to his scouting report from MLB Pipeline, Anderson's fastball "plays much better than its velocity (sitting 92-94 mph, touching 97) because it carries past bats up in the strike zone. He used an upper-70s downer curveball as his main breaking pitch as a freshman but since has switched to a high-spin mid-80s slider that has the makings of a plus offering. He also employs a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that has become a true weapon as he has used it more often."

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.