Why Drafting Jared Grindlinger Proves the Los Angeles Angels Are Finally Rebuilding Intelligently

"It's a dream." See what new Angels 1st-round pick Jared Grindlinger & scouting director Tim McIlvaine said about the draft's elite, young two-way threat.

Jun 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the 12th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft the Angels selected Jered Grindlinger, a 17 year old two way prospect out of Huntington Beach High School. Grindlinger was announced as an outfielder although his pitching can not be discounted.

Drafting a 17 year old with huge upside is a massive change for the Angels who have focused primarily on college players who project to be quick to the major leagues. John Mozeliak stepped into the Angels top baseball position only two weeks ago and announced his presence with authority with this pick. Or, more correctly, he has giving the scouts more power to bet on upside than the previous regime.

Jared Grindlinger: "It's a dream come true so I'm ready to go."

Grindlinger grew up in Huntington Beach and attends Angels games. He describes himself as a huge Angels fan and wore a big smile throughout a post draft Zoom chat. The local boy makes good story is a nice angle to the story, but Grindlinger was drafted for his talent.

As a highly talented high schooler, Jared was offered many scholarships to big time baseball schools. He had committed to playing for the Tennessee Volunteers, but that plan is now off.

"The dream has always been to play professional ball so this is one step closer to my dream."

Grindlinger spent draft day at his uncle's house, who is yet another huge Angels fan. It was truly a fairy tale day for the 17 year old. The uncle has tickets on the third base side behind the Angels dugout and took his nephews to many games over the years.

"It has been fun," the Angels first rounder said. His excitement evident in his voice.

Grindlinger easily has the most upside in the Angels organization.

The six foot three draftee easily tops the Angels most intriguing prospect list. His potential to excel on both sides of the ball means the Angels need to figure out how they want to best develop him. In a meeting to announce the pick the Angels clearly stated they want to develop him as a hitter and see his upside greatest with the bat.

On the mound, Grindlinger regularly hits the mid 90s with his fastball and has advanced spin rates for his age. In his senior season he posted video game numbers on the hill: 57.1 innings pitched, 66 strikeouts, 0.85 ERA.

It is his contact rate and power at the plate that also has scouts intrigued. Grindlinger was almost as dominant at the plate as he was on the mound, hitting .376 with 41 hits as a senior in high school. A tough player to strike out, Grindlinger's high contact rate is what really sold the Angels on drafting him as an outfielder.

The Los Angeles Angels are selecting Jared Grindlinger with the No. 12 pick in the 2026 MLB draft. (per @JoeDoyleMiLB)

A team that's gone with fast rising college prospects takes a gamble on a high upside two-way standout in Grindlinger. pic.twitter.com/7r03eJnBpn

— Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) July 11, 2026

John Mozeliak made his mark on the team quickly.

Scouts love the fact Grindlinger is only 17 years old and will add to his frame. That will add power both on the mound and at the plate. Getting into professional ball this early will allow Grindlinger to spend a year at each level and still enter the Major Leagues at the age of 22. This also allows the Angels to attemp to develop him as a bat for a couple of years and have time to convert him back to the mound if that does now pan out.

But the rate of busts is much higher for high school players than college players. This is a big gamble on Mozeliak's part and he must have confidence his vision for player development will be implemented.

Most importantly, Mozeliak let the scouts lead the charge with this pick. In a zoom chat after the pick was announced, had of scouting Tom Mcllvaine said he was empowered by Mozeliak.

"Since Mo has come in he's really empowered me to run the room the way I want to run the room," said Mcllvaine noting that every GM is different. Mo prefers to let people do their jobs with little interference from above. That is a huge departure from the Angels culture of the past.

Angels brass is very familiar with Grindlinger.

Head of scouting Tim Mcllvaine says the Angels watched him with Team USA and in Japan in addition to getting plenty of up close looks here in Orange County. The head of scouting believes Gindlinger could have been a first round pick as a pitcher but the Angels think his greatest upside is offensively.

"We want to develop the bat first," Mcllvaine said noting that they have spoken with Gindlinger about their development plan.

And the Angels are leaving the door open for the youngster to develp as a two way player. When asked if that is a possiblity, Mcllvaine responded with this:

"There is. He does two way now. To do a two way it's a lot. So for us I want to make sure that the side we are drafting him for is right."

The combination of two way upside along with the storylines of John Mozeliak and Grindlinger's love for the Angels combine to make this a truly remarkable draft pick. Rather than going for a player the Angels hope will be in the big leagues soon, they took a gamble on a talented piece of clay they hope to mold into a star player.

Giving the scouts authority to scout is also a notable shift inside the organization. The question will now sit on whether those scouts are up to par or now. For the Angels, they are trying to rebuild now. That much is clear. And the choice of a truly high upside player is the first step in that rebuild.