1. Kaleb Cowart, 3B, B
A very highly regarded two-way prospect coming out of high school, it looks like the Angels made the right move using him as a third baseman rather than a pitcher. He has been much better defensively this year at third, which was a question mark coming into the year. Cowart has continued to show his very good contact ability, power, and speed, in addition to a more advanced approach this year.

2. Taylor Lindsey, 2B, B-
After skipping low-A ball and going straight from the hitter friendly Pioneer League to the equally hitter friendly California League, Lindsey has certainly held his own. He has not shown the same type of power or speed that he did last year, but his strikeout rate is down, which is promising for his future batting average. His defense also has been statistically worse this year, but he should be good enough to stick at second. He still has very solid all-around tools and is an interesting bat first type middle infield prospect.

3. CJ Cron, 1B, B-
The 17th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Cron hits bombs and will also hit for a solid average. He’s not very good defensively, even at first, and does not have speed, but it will be his power bat that pushes him to the majors.

5. Luis Jimenez, 3B, B-
Jimenez has an all around game, even if none of his tools are off the charts. He will hit for a decent average, steal some bases and hit some homers, while playing a decent third base. His approach is not great, but as a 24 year old in AAA, he could be in the big leagues rather quickly.

6. RJ Alvarez, RHP, C+
Alvarez is a power bullpen arm that could move quickly after being drafted in the 3rd round this year. He has a very good fastball, changeup mix, with a developing breaking ball. He has only allowed one base runner, a hit, in 3 innings with 4 strikeouts thus far in the Midwest League.

7. Nick Maronde, LHP, C+
Maronde mostly relieved in college at the University of Florida, but has only been a starter since entering pro ball last year. He has a chance to be a solid mid rotation starter, assuming the changeup develops as expected. He was highly regarded out of high school in Kentucky and it would not be a surprise if Maronde saw AA this year, due to his good combination of stuff and command. 

8. Nick Mutz, RHP, C+
Mutz looks to be a solid bullpen arm, at least a solid middle reliever. A 9th round pick in 2011, he was nowhere near my radar before the draft, Mutz has not pitched at all this year, although he fared well in the hitter friendly Pioneer League last year.

9. Randal Grichuk, OF, C+

10. Travis Witherspoon, OF, C+

11. Cam Bedrosian, RHP, C+/C

12. Austin Wood, RHP, C

13. Chevy Clarke, OF, C

14. Alex Yarbrough, 2B, C

15. Mark Sappington, RHP, C

16. Dan Tillman, RHP, C

17. Matt Long, 2B/OF, C

18. Carlos Ramirez, C, C

19. Michael Roth, LHP, C

20. Eric Stamets, SS, C

Overall Draft Grade: C/C-


The Angels didn't have too many picks to work with, but instead have Albert Pujols and C.J Wilson anchoring their Major League roster. Accordingly, they had limited clout and a small budget and this draft is far from notable. It's hard to critique it given the limited resources, but the Angels went mainly the college route and picked up some polished talent and power arms.

3rd Round (114) R.J. Alvarez, RHP, Florida Atlantic University (JR), 6'0", 200
Alvarez is an electric reliever with a closer mentality and the stuff to match. The fastball sits comfortably in the 94-95 range and he pairs that with a solid change-up and a developing breaking ball. It's hard to see the Angels turning Alvarez into a starter, but he has the stuff to anchor a bullpen at the next level.

4th Round (147) Alex Yarbrough, 2B, Ole Miss (JR), 5'11", 180, S/R
Yarbrough isn't the biggest guy and he doesn't play a premium defensive position, but he can hit the ball and has proven it consistently. He hit .380 in 2012 with 23 XBH and a nearly 1:1 BB:K ratio. He doesn't have a particularly high ceiling given his size and defensive limitations, but Yarbrough is one of those players who consistently plays above his tools and finds success at the plate.

5th Round (177): Mark Sappington, RHP, Rockhurst College (JR), 6'5", 209
Sappington is one of the better Division II prospects this year and has a power pitchers' frame with the arm strength to match. Much like Alvarez, he will probably end up in a bullpen but he started in college and the Angels could definitely try him there. His fastball projects well and he pairs it with a solid slider. He dominated at the Division II level in 2012 with a 10-3 record and a 1.78 ERA.

6th Round (207): Eric Stamets, SS, University of Evansville (JR), 6'0", 185, R/R

7th Round (237): Andrew Patterson, C, Mary G. Motgomery HS (AL), 5'11", 185, R/R

8th Round (267): Austin Adams, RHP, University of South Florida (JR), 6'3", 210

9th Round (297): Michael Roth, LHP, University of South Carolina (SR), 6'1", 210

10th Round (327): Christopher O'Grady, LHP, George Mason University (SR), 6'4", 220

          The Angels aren’t in an ideal position this year, as their first selection comes at #114 and they only have $1.645 million to spread amongst their first eight picks. In 2011, they selected college players with 9 out of their first 10 selections and this trend will almost certainly carry over into 2012. There’s no chance that they can replicate their 2010 draft crop, almost the antithesis of their 2011 draft at the top, when they took high school products with their first five selections. Having spent their money and sacrificed their picks in order to bring some quality talent into the Majors, their flexibility and potential in the draft this year have naturally suffered. Look for the Angels to make mainly college selections that allow them to operate within their limited budget.

 Mock Draft Selections: None