Angels Mock Draft Has Halos Taking Superstar Outfielder With Second Pick

Maren Angus-Coombs | 21 Hours Ago

Jun 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies right fielder Jace Laviolette hits a home run against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft is seven months away, but the experts at MLB Pipeline have already begun predicting who is going where.

The Los Angeles Angels were awarded the No. 2 overall pick during the Winter Meetings, and Jim Callis of MLB.com has the Halos selecting outfielder Jace LaViolette.

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“It’s exciting,” general manager Perry Minasian said of having the second pick. “It’s obviously a huge difference [than a mid-round pick]. Our staff is very excited to have the opportunity to pick second. We’ve done a lot of work up to this point. We'll see how the spring goes and try to make the best pick we can.”

The top college player on the new Top 100 Draft Prospects list, Texas A&M's Jace LaViolette sports 65-grade power: https://t.co/mKVCJeBzWW pic.twitter.com/IrHieeoCBE

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 8, 2024

LaViolette is entering his junior year at Texas A&M and is the highest ranked collegiate prospect according to Pipeline. Over 132 games as an Aggie, all as a starter, he posted a .297/.433/.683 slash line, adding five triples, 26 doubles, 50 home runs, and 141 RBIs.

The Katy, Texas native also scored 137 runs, drew 112 walks, and stole 25 bases.

In 2024, he helped lead Texas A&M to the College World Series Finals, batting .305 with 29 homers and 78 RBIs. He also set a program record with 64 walks, doubled 16 times, and scored 87 runs, the second-most in school history. His 29 home runs made him the first player in Texas A&M history to record back-to-back 20-homer seasons.

"His combination of physicality (6-foot-6, 230 pounds), athleticism and classic right-field tools make LaViolette a strong candidate to go 1-1," Callis wrote.

Callis has high school senior Ethan Holliday as the No. 1 pick. He is the younger brother of Jackson Holliday who was also drafted as the top overall pick in 2022 by the Baltimore Orioles.

The younger Holliday is committed to Oklahoma State but that could all change in a matter of months.

“He’s obviously had the opportunity to watch Jackson and how Jackson’s handled everything.” Matt Holliday, the boys' father and former big leaguer told Baseball America. “So he has a good template and a good role model to look up to with Jackson, and how he’s handled it all has made it easier for him.”

The Angels can't go wrong with either pick but with Mike Trout beginning to stumble late in his career, LaViolette would be a good pickup to develop into the next face of the franchise.

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