Angels look to boost farm system

Two high school players join pitcher from Long Beach State among picks.

The Angels on Thursday picked two athletes with upside and a polished collegiate starter with their final picks of MLB’s shortened amateur player draft.

They used their fifthround pick on Long Beach State pitcher Adam Seminaris, a left-hander from Chino Hills who struck out 36 batters and walked one in 22 innings before the COVID-19 pandemic ended his junior season. He had a 3.58 ERA in 173 2⁄3 innings in his collegiate career.

Baseball America praised Seminaris’ pitch arsenal (curveball, low-90s fastball, changeup and slurve) and added he “dominates with a feel to pitch so elite that one evaluator compared it to Tom

Glavine’s.”

The Angels took high school shortstop Werner Blakely in the fourth round, 111th overall, from Edison Public School Academy in Detroit. Though some scouts question his readiness, amateur scouting director Matt Swanson did not think Blakely’s talent should be considered raw. Swanson said Blakely, 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, showed a level of athleticism that reminded him of Angels top prospect Jo Adell.

The Angels used their third-round selection on high school outfielder David Calabrese

from St. Elizabeth Catholic High in Ontario. The 17-year-old was widely considered the best Canadian prospect available in the draft. He ran a 60-yard dash in 6.47 seconds and showed impressive range in center field at a Fenway Park showcase last fall.

Calabrese, 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, is committed to Arkansas.

If he is swayed to begin his professional career, he will join a farm system that already counts nine outfielders among its top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America.

The Angels were allocated a bonus pool of about $6.4 million to sign their four draftees, including first-rounder Reid Detmers. Swanson said in a post-draft conference call he expects all players will come to terms with the Angels by the Aug. 1 deadline.

On Sunday, the Angels can begin signing an unlimited number of undrafted free agents for no more than $20,000.