The Los Angeles Angels have some work to do, and it starts with selecting the right players in the 2024 MLB Draft. With Shohei Ohtani gone and Mike Trout often injured in the latter part of his career, the Angels need to build from the ground up. For the Angels, this draft could start with a top high school player out of Harvard-Westlake in California. That’s shortstop Bryce Rainer. According to MLB Pipeline, he’s slated as the end of the top 10 for draft prospects this season.
Bryce Rainer and His Profile
While in high school, you’ll notice that the best players are usually shortstops. That doesn’t always mean they’ll be shortstops in professional ball, particularly in MLB. However, for Rainer, that’s not the case.
The bat and offensive tools are unquestionable. Although he played as a two-way player for much of his high school career, he has focused on being a position player, leading him to become a top 10 choice for the MLB Draft. He’s athletic enough to play shortstop at the big league level, and the arm is enough that some would project he’d be a Gold Glove third baseman if he had to move off of shortstop due to his size. After all, he can throw 90 MPH fastballs off the mound if he needs to.
No. 10 Draft prospect Bryce Rainer talks about his two-way potential and what he hopes to discuss during team interviews. pic.twitter.com/m273RMXmkL
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 18, 2024
Bryce Rainer shows exceptional discipline from the left side of the plate while sticking to a game plan and not letting the moments rattle him. In fact, he attended the National High School Invitational this Spring and was the best player there on one of the bigger stages. According to Jonathan Mayo, he solidified himself as a top choice amongst the high school prospects and maybe even the best bet among them. After all, he went 7 for 13 with two doubles and showcased his discipline with five walks and no strikeouts. He even got on the mound for an inning of relief and topped out at 95 MPH.
Harvard-Westlake’s Bryce Rainer leads off this game at @USABaseball‘s NHSI with a double but he pulls up as he heads into second. He thankfully seems OK and is staying in the game. pic.twitter.com/5W4zDsnylU
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) April 10, 2024
He’s currently committed to playing at Texas for college ball and has drawn comps to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, but could the Angels or another team sway him to start his professional career?
The Los Angeles Angels Fit in the 2024 MLB Draft
The Angels have fast-tracked some of their recent draft picks to the big leagues. However, they’ve only done this with college prospects. The last high schooler they took in the first round of the MLB Draft was Jordyn Adams back in 2018. Since 2019, they’ve called up their first-round picks of Reid Detmers, Sam Bachman, Zach Neto, and Nolan Schanuel. They were all from college, and each has had a little bit of success at the big league level. As they attempt to squeeze contention out of the end of Trout’s prime, they might do it again, which would mean selecting Rainer in the first round wouldn’t fit the bill.
However, if the Angels wanted to really dig in and build a deeper mix of players, drafting Bryce Rainer would be a great fit. In their latest Mock Draft, ESPN has Rainer being taken in the eighth round by the Angels. Their bonus pool is just under $13 million, and their slot value is $6.5 million. They could try to entice Rainer to forego college with their ability to use that $6.5 million as a bonus if he signs with the team.
For the Angels, their farm system is pretty low on prospects in the upper minors. A college bat might be the way to go for them to replenish this, but the team really needs to focus on building from the ground up. If the Angels do decide to tear it all down, it might be a high school prospect focus for them.
