With the 2011 MLB Draft upon us, the Angels look to strike gold with another Mike Trout-type pick in the first round. Trout, the second or third best prospect in all of baseball, was picked with the 25th pick in 2009. The Angels pick 17th overall in the first round, their highest pick since 2004, when they picked 12th. The Angels did pretty good with that pick too, picking current ace Jered Weaver.
The Angels have stocked their farm system in the last two years with five of the first 48 picks in each of the last two years. This was thanks to compensatory picks from the loss of free agents John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, and even Jon Garland. This year, the Angels have just one pick on the first day of the draft, number 17 overall.
Jim Callis of Baseball America projects the Angels to take Florida high school shortstop Francisco Lindor with their first pick. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has the Angels taking another Florida prep shortstop, Javier Baez. Meanwhile, Keith Law of ESPN projects the Halos to pick Tennessee prep pitcher Daniel Norris, a pitcher Goldstein has also heard linked to the club.
The MLB Draft is a three-day event, beginning Monday at 4 p.m. PDT with the first round and supplemental round on MLB Network. For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Halos Heaven.