Angels Get Praise for 2026 Draft Haul

Sam GarciaWed, Jul 15, 2026·2 min read

Firing general manager Perry Minasian seemed to pay off for the Los Angeles Angels in the 2026 MLB Draft.

MLB’s Jim Callis ranked the Angels as one of the best 2026 draft hauls in the league. In addition to the Angels, Callis said the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and Colorado Rockies were successful in this year’s draft.

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Callis also pointed out how unlike the other three teams on his list, the Angels and Guardians did not have any extra draft picks in the Competitive Balance Rounds. Los Angeles had the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the draft.

Who Did the Angels Draft?

The Angels drafted a total of 20 players over the weekend.

With the No. 12 pick, Los Angeles drafted Huntington Beach High School outfielder Jared Grindlinger. This is a change from Minasian’s approach of drafting players who will quickly be ready to play at the MLB level. Grindlinger just turned 17 years old in April, making him one of the youngest players in the draft.

In the second and third rounds, the Angels selected Georgia Tech second baseman Jarren Advincula and Texas A&M corner infielder Gavin Grahovac, respectively.

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And in the fifth round, Los Angeles secured Jaxon Willits, who is a reigning national champion from Oklahoma and the 2026 Men’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player. Willits is also the brother of last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Eli Willits, and son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits.

Callis also highlighted Georgia outfielder Rylan Lujo,Tennessee catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright and UC Irvine right-hander Trevor Hansen as strong additions to the organization.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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