The top Angels Draft pick from every season

ANAHEIM -- Here’s a look at the Halos' No. 1 MLB Draft picks, dating back to 1965, when the MLB Draft was instituted:

• Complete Draft coverage

2024: Christian Moore, 2B, University of Tennessee (No. 8)
The Angels selected a highly polished college position player with their first Draft pick for a third straight year, taking Moore with the No. 8 overall pick. Moore finished his junior year setting career highs in batting average (.375), OBP (.451) and slugging percentage (.797), while earning First Team All-American honors via both Baseball America and Perfect Game and leading the Vols to the College World Series title. He also worked with Angels manager Ron Washington as a teenager as part of the MLB Develops program. He brings plenty of power to the plate and profiles best defensively as a second baseman.

2023: Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic University (No. 11)
The Angels went with a college position player in the first round for a second straight year, and just like shortstop Zach Neto, Schanuel had a quick ascent to the Majors. Schanuel played in just 22 games in the Minors before he was promoted to the big leagues. He excelled in his first taste of the Majors, hitting .275/.402/.330 with one homer and six RBIs in 29 games. He reached base safely in all 29 games, which set an Angels record for the most consecutive games reaching base to open a career.

2022: Zach Neto, SS, Campbell University (No. 13)
The Angels were connected to pitching leading up to the Draft, but they couldn't pass up on selecting Neto, who was coming off a huge season at Campbell University. Neto, 21, batted .407/.514/.769 with 15 homers, 19 stolen bases and 50 RBIs in 53 games, showing both elite contact skills and power.

2021: Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami University (Ohio) (No. 9)
Bachman, 21, went 4-4 with a 1.81 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings over 12 starts as a junior at Miami. His ERA was the seventh best among NCAA Division I pitchers, and he possesses a fastball that can reach triple digits.

• All-time Draft picks

2020: Reid Detmers, LHP, University of Louisville (No. 10)
Detmers was selected as the club's first pick in the shortened 2020 Draft after a strong career at the University of Louisville. The left-hander had a breakout junior season, going 13-4 with a 2.78 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings.

2019: Will Wilson, SS, NC State University (No. 15)
Wilson was traded to the Giants before the 2020 season in a move to clear salary, as the Giants took on $12.67 million of Zack Cozart’s deal to make the trade work. The Angels then signed third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year deal worth $245 million a few days later.

2018: Jordyn Adams, OF, Green Hope HS (N.C.) (No. 17)
Adams was taken after being a two-sport standout from Green Hope High School in Cary, N.C. He was committed to play football and baseball at North Carolina before signing the Angels. He hit .453 with five doubles, three triples, a home run and 15 RBIs during his senior season.

2017: Jo Adell, OF, Ballard HS (Ky.) (No. 10)
Adell was selected by the Angels after displaying power and speed during his senior season of high school. He garnered Gatorade Kentucky Baseball Player of the Year honors, batting .562, while tagging 25 home runs -- the most of any high schooler in the country -- and 61 RBIs, along with 22 stolen bases and 53 runs.

2016: Matt Thaiss, C, University of Virginia (No. 16)
Thaiss was taken by the Angels because of his left-handed bat and his leadership skills behind the plate. In three years for the Cavaliers, he batted .338/.427/.518 with 20 home runs, 74 walks and 55 strikeouts in 153 games.

2015: Taylor Ward, C, Fresno State University (No. 26)
Ward had a strong career at Fresno State and was originally drafted as a catcher. In his junior year, he batted .304/.413/.486 with seven homers and 42 RBIs while throwing out 56.6 percent of would-be basestealers (13 of 23) and starting all 59 games in his junior year. For his three-year career at Fresno State, he batted .288 with 16 homers and 98 RBIs in 162 games.

2014: Sean Newcomb, LHP, University of Hartford (No. 15)
Newcomb was a top prospect for the Angels but was traded to the Braves for shortstop Andrelton Simmons before the 2016 season. Newcomb had some success with Atlanta, but Simmons was a key player for the Angels from 2016-20.

2013: Hunter Green, LHP, Warren East HS (Ky.) (No. 59)
Green pitched just one year in the Minors, posting a 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 innings in the rookie-level Arizona League in 2013. Back injuries ended his career.

2012: R.J. Alvarez, RHP, Florida Atlantic University (No. 114)
Alvarez was traded by the Angels before reaching the Majors, as he was sent to the Padres as part of the trade that netted the Angels both Trevor Gott and Huston Street in 2014. He pitched parts of two seasons in the Majors with the Padres and A's, posting a 7.39 ERA.

2011: C.J. Cron, 1B, University of Utah (No. 17)
Cron played four seasons with the Angels from 2014-17, batting .262/.307/.449 with 59 homers and 213 RBIs in 408 games. He was traded to the Rays for Luis Rengifo before the 2018 season. He later rejoined the organization in a trade in 2023.

2010: Kaleb Cowart, Cook County HS (Ga.) (No. 18)
Cowart was a two-way player and a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman but couldn’t hit in the Majors, batting .176/.238/.292 in five years with the club from 2015-19. He also pitched in 17 games in the Minors in 2019.

2009: Randal Grichuk, Lamar Consolidated HS (Texas) (No. 24)
Grichuk was famously selected just one pick ahead of superstar Mike Trout and has had a nice career after being traded to the Cardinals before the 2014 season for David Freese and Fernando Salas. He later rejoined the Angels for a brief stint in 2023.

2008: Tyler Chatwood, RHP, Redlands East Valley HS (Calif.) (No. 74)
Chatwood pitched one season with the Angels in 2011, posting a 4.75 ERA in 142 innings, before being traded to the Rockies for catcher Chris Iannetta. Chatwood posted a 4.45 ERA in parts of 10 years in the Majors.

2007: Jonathan Bachanov, RHP, University HS (Fla.) (No. 58)
Bachanov reached Class A Cedar Rapids in 2010, posting a 5.47 ERA in 26 1/3 innings, and was then released. He pitched in the White Sox system from 2011-12 before being released.

2006: Hank Conger, C, Huntington Beach HS (Calif.) (No. 25)
Conger played five seasons with the Angels from 2010-14, batting .224/.294/.353 in 251 games. He was traded to the Astros for Carlos Pérez and Nick Tropeano before the '15 season.

2005: Trevor Bell, RHP, Crescenta Valley HS (Calif.) (No. 37)
Bell pitched three years with the Angels from 2009-11 with a 5.21 ERA before being released in 2012. He made two appearances with the Reds in 2014, allowing five runs while recording two outs.

2004: Jered Weaver, RHP, Cal State Long Beach (No. 12)
Weaver was considered the top overall talent in the Draft but dropped due to bonus demands, and the Angels were happy to get him with the No. 12 pick. The local product turned into one of the best pitchers in franchise history, as the three-time All-Star won 150 games with a 3.55 ERA in 2,025 innings from 2006-16.

2003: Brandon Wood, SS, Horizon HS (Ariz.) (No. 23)
Wood was an incredible prospect -- he hit 43 homers in 130 games at High-A Rancho Cucamonga as a 20-year-old in 2005 -- but struggled with the Angels in five seasons from 2007-11. Wood batted .186/.225/.289 in 272 games and never developed into the power-hitting third baseman everyone expected him to be.

2002: Joe Saunders, LHP, Virginia Tech University (No. 12)
Saunders was an underrated part of the Angels' rotation from 2005-2010, posting a 4.29 ERA in 692 innings while picking up an All-Star appearance in 2008. But he was traded to the D-backs at the Trade Deadline in 2010 for Dan Haren and pitched his final four seasons with Arizona, Baltimore, Texas and Seattle.

2001: Casey Kotchman, 1B, Seminole HS (Fla.) (No. 13)
Kotchman was a solid first baseman with the Angels from 2004-08, hitting .274/.337/.426 and playing strong defense. But he was traded for Mark Teixeira at the Trade Deadline in 2008 and played for seven teams in his 10-year career.

2000: Joe Torres, LHP, Gateway HS (Fla.) (No. 10)
Torres pitched in the Angels organization as a reliever from 2000-2006 but never pitched above Class A-Advanced. He reached as high as Triple-A in the Rockies organization but never reached the Majors.

1999: John Lackey, RHP, Grayson County College (No. 68)
Lackey had a stellar career with the Angels with 102 wins and a 3.81 ERA from 2002-09, including a memorable rookie year in 2002 that saw him win Game 7 of the World Series. He went on to a 15-year career that also saw him win World Series titles with the Red Sox and Cubs.

1998: Seth Etherton, RHP, University of Southern California (No. 18)
Etherton helped USC win the College World Series title in 1998 and pitched one season with the Angels, going 5-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 11 starts in 2000. He was traded to the Reds after the season for shortstop Wilmy Caceres and missed the 2001 season because of shoulder surgery that derailed his career.

1997: Troy Glaus, 3B, UCLA (No. 3)
Glaus was a three-time All-Star with the Angels and was the World Series MVP in 2002. He batted .253/.357/.497 with 182 homers in 827 games with the club from 1998-2004 before signing with the D-backs before the 2005 season.

1996: Chuck Abbott, SS, Austin Peay University (No. 55)
Abbott played six seasons in the Minors in the Angels organization -- reaching Triple-A in both 2000 and 2001 -- but never reached the Majors.

1995: Darin Erstad, OF, University of Nebraska (No. 1)
Erstad had a great career with the Angels from 1996-2006, being named an All-Star twice, winning three Gold Gloves and winning the World Series in 2002. He memorably had 240 hits in 2000 and batted .286/.341/.416 in 1,320 games with the Halos.

1994: McKay Christensen, OF, Clovis West HS (Calif.) (No. 6)
Christensen was traded by the Angels to the White Sox for Jim Abbott and Tim Fortugno at the 1995 Trade Deadline before reaching the Majors. He played parts of four seasons with the White Sox, Dodgers and Mets from 1999-2002.

1993: Brian Anderson, LHP, Wright State University (No. 3)
Anderson pitched with the Angels from 1993-95, recording a 5.46 ERA in 212 2/3 innings. He was traded to the Indians before the 1996 season for Jason Grimsley and Pep Harris and pitched 13 years in the Majors, winning the 2001 World Series with Arizona.

1992: Pete Janicki, RHP, UCLA, (No. 8)
Janicki reached as high as Triple-A with the Angels from 1995-97 and spent the 1998 season in the Mariners organization, but never reached the Majors.

1991: Eduardo Pérez, 1B, Florida State University (No. 17)
Pérez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Pérez, played with the Angels for three years from 1993-95, batting .221/.288/.361 in 119 games. He was traded to the Reds in 1996 for Will Pennyfeather and had a 13-year career.

1990: Phil Leftwich, RHP, Radford University (No. 64)
Leftwich pitched with the Angels from 1993-94 and again in '96, posting a 4.99 ERA in 202 innings.

1989: Kyle Abbott, LHP, California State Long Beach (No. 9)
Abbott pitched with the Angels in 1991, recording a 4.58 ERA in five appearances, then was traded to the Phillies for Von Hayes before the 1992 season. He returned in 1996 as a free agent and gave up nine runs in four innings.

1988: Jim Abbott, LHP, University of Michigan (No. 8)
Abbott was an inspiration, as he was born without a right hand and was an above-average pitcher with the Angels from 1989-92, posting a 3.49 ERA in 847 innings. He was traded to the Yankees before the 1993 season for Jerry Nielsen, J.T. Snow and Russ Springer, but returned via trade in 1995. He had a 4.07 ERA in six years with the Halos and threw a no-hitter with New York in 1993.

1987: John Orton, C, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (No. 25)
Orton played five years with the Halos from 1989-93, hitting .200/.265/.274 in 156 games.

1986: Roberto Hernández, RHP, University of South Carolina Aiken (No. 16)
Hernández was traded to the White Sox in 1989 for outfielder Mark Davis in what turned out to be a lopsided trade, as Hernández went on to pitch in the Majors for 17 years and was an All-Star twice.

1985: Willie Fraser, RHP, Concordia College (No. 15)
Fraser pitched with the Angels from 1986-1990 with a 4.26 ERA in 543 1/3 innings. He was traded along with Devon White and Marcus Moore to the Blue Jays for Junior Felix and Luis Sojo before the 1991 season.

1984: Erik Pappas, C, Mount Carmel HS (Ill.) (No. 6)
Pappas never reached the Majors with the Angels, and the Cubs selected him in the 1988 Minor League Draft. He played in the Majors with the Cubs in 1991 and the Cardinals from 1993-94, batting .242/.342/.298 in 104 games.

1983: Mark Doran, OF, University of Wisconsin (No. 23)
Doran was in the Angels' system from 1983-1990 and reached Triple-A in 1988 -- but never got to the Majors.

1982: Bob Kipper, LHP, Aurora Central Catholic HS (Ill.) (No. 8)
Kipper made just two appearances with the Angels in 1985, allowing eight runs in 3 1/3 innings, before being traded to the Pirates in a move that brought John Candelaria, George Hendrick and Al Holland to the club. He pitched eight years in the Majors with a 4.34 ERA.

1981: Dick Schofield, SS, Sacred Heart-Griffin HS (Ill.) (No. 3)
Schofield, the son of Dick "Ducky" Schofield, played for the Angels from 1983-1992 and received AL MVP votes in 1986. He was known more for his glove and batted .232/.306/.320 in 1,086 games with the club, including a second stint from 1995-96.

1980: Dennis Rasmussen, LHP, Creighton University (No. 17)
Rasmussen never pitched for the Angels, as he was traded to the Yankees in 1982 for Tommy John. He went on to pitch 12 seasons in the Majors, posting a 4.15 ERA in 1,460 2/3 innings.

1979: Mickey Saatzer, RHP, Eisenhower HS (Minn.) (No. 67)
Saatzer made it as high as Double-A in 1983 but had a 5.78 ERA in seven Minor League seasons.

1978: Tom Brunansky, OF, West Covina HS (Calif.) (No. 14)
Brunansky played in just 11 games with the Angels in 1981 before he was traded to the Twins for Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong. He went on to a 14-year career, in which he was an All-Star in 1985 and won the World Series with Minnesota in '87.

1977: Richard Dotson, RHP, Anderson HS (Ohio) (No. 7)
Dotson never pitched for the Angels, as he was part of a six-player trade with the White Sox before the 1978 season that saw the Halos acquire Brian Downing, Dave Frost and Chris Knapp. Dotson pitched 12 years with a 4.23 ERA in the Majors, including winning 22 games in 1983 and being named an All-Star in '84.

1976: Ken Landreaux, OF, Arizona State University (No. 6)
Landreaux played two seasons with the Angels from 1977-78 before being part of the trade that brought Hall of Famer Rod Carew from the Twins to the Angels. Landreaux played 11 years in the Majors, was an All-Star with the Twins in 1980 and caught the last out of the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers.

1975: Danny Goodwin, C, Southern University (No. 1)
Goodwin, who was the No. 1 overall pick in both 1971 (White Sox) and '75, played in parts of three seasons with the Angels in '75 and from '77-78, and was traded to the Twins before the 1979 season for Dan Ford. Goodwin played seven years in the Majors with the Angels, Twins and A's, batting .236/.301/.373 in 252 games.

1974: Mike Miley, SS, Louisiana State University (No. 10)
Miley played two years with the Angels from 1975-76, batting .176/.234/.256 in 84 games. He tragically died in a one-car crash in Louisiana on Jan. 6, 1977.

1973: Billy Taylor, OF, Windsor Forest HS (Ga.) (No. 7)
Taylor played three years in the Minors with the Angels from 1974-76 but never reached any higher than Class A Quad Cities.

1972: Dave Chalk, 3B, University of Texas (No. 10)
Chalk played six seasons with the Angels from 1973-1978 and was an All-Star in both 1974 and '75. He batted .255/.327/.312 in 732 games with the club before playing parts of the next three seasons with the Rangers, Royals and A's.

1971: Frank Tanana, LHP, Catholic Central HS (Mich.) (No. 13)
Tanana is one of the best Draft picks in club history, as he had a 3.08 ERA in 1,615 1/3 innings with the Angels in eight seasons from 1973-80. He was an All-Star from 1976-78 and finished in the top 10 in the balloting for the AL Cy Young Award from 1975-77. He was traded to the Red Sox for Fred Lynn and Steve Renko before the 1981 season and went on to a 21-year career that saw him win 240 games with a 3.66 ERA.

1970: Paul Dade, 3B, Nathan Hale HS (Wash.) (No. 10)
Dade played in parts of two seasons with the Angels from 1975-76, appearing in 24 games and hitting .179/.333/.282. He played six years in the Majors with the Angels, Indians and Padres, batting .270/.328/.345 in 439 games.

1969: Alan Bannister, SS, John F. Kennedy HS (Calif.) (No. 5)
The Angels failed to sign Bannister, and he was later selected as the No. 1 pick by the Phillies in the January Draft in 1973. The club's second pick was first baseman David Chorley, but he failed to reach the Majors after six seasons in the Minors.

1968: Lloyd Allen, RHP, Selma HS (Calif.) (No. 12)
Allen pitched five seasons with the Angels from 1969-1973, posting a 3.32 ERA in 222 innings. He was traded along with Jim Spencer to the Rangers for Mike Epstein, Rich Hand and Rick Stelmaszek on May 20, 1973, and had a 4.69 ERA in seven years in the Majors.

1967: Mike Nunn, C, Ben L. Smith HS (N.C.) (No. 9)
Nunn spent parts of four seasons as a Minor Leaguer for the Angels, reaching as high as Double-A El Paso. He also spent time in the organizations of the Twins and Yankees but never advanced past Triple-A.

1966: Jim DeNeff, SS, Indiana University (No. 8)
DeNeff spent five years in the Minors with the Angels -- and reached Triple-A in 1970 and '71 -- but never reached the Majors.

1965: Jim Spencer, 1B, Andover HS (Md.) (No. 11)
Spencer played six years with the Angels from 1968-73, batting .248/.298/.370 in 537 games. He was part of the same trade with Allen in ’73 for Epstein, Hand and Stelmaszek. He played 15 years in the Majors, winning Gold Gloves in 1970 and '77, while being an All-Star with Texas in '73.