DALLAS -- The Angels will have the opportunity to make a significant addition to their roster next July, as they secured the No. 2 overall pick during the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday. It marks the first time in franchise history the Halos will pick at the No. 2 spot, while the Nationals won the Draft Lottery and will have the first pick in July.

The Angels, who finished with the fourth-worst record in the Majors in 2024 at 63-99, entered with the third-best odds for the No. 1 overall selection with a 17.96% chance of securing the top spot. The Rockies and Marlins each had the best odds at 22.45%, while the White Sox and Athletics were both ineligible for the lottery. The White Sox were ineligible because they pay into revenue sharing and had a lottery pick last year, while the A's receive revenue sharing and had lottery picks in back-to-back years in ¡¯22 and ¡¯23.

¡°It¡¯s exciting,¡± general manager Perry Minasian said. ¡°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 Angels have only had the No. 1 overall pick twice in their franchise history -- when they selected Danny Goodwin in 1975 and Darin Erstad in 1995. Otherwise, their highest pick was No. 3 in 1981, ¡®93 and ¡¯97, when they took Dick Schofield, Brian Anderson and Troy Glaus, respectively. Erstad and Glaus had strong careers with the club and helped the Angels to the 2002 World Series title.

The Angels have now been in the lottery for two consecutive seasons after drawing the No. 8 overall pick last year. The Halos selected infielder Christian Moore from the University of Tennessee with that pick, and now he¡¯s prepared to head to Spring Training to compete for the starting job at second base after an incredible showing in his first taste of the Minor Leagues last season. He was expected to be a September callup last season before suffering a minor knee injury but was able to play in the instructional league in October.

The Angels haven¡¯t been shy about promoting the Draft picks to the Majors shortly after drafting them. First baseman Nolan Schanuel was selected No. 11 in 2023 and spent just 40 days in the Minors before being called up. Shortstop Zach Neto was the No. 13 pick in 2022 and reached the Majors in mid-April 2023. Right-handers Sam Bachman (No. 9 overall in 2021) and Chase Silseth (11th-round pick in ¡®21) also reached the big leagues in a hurry, although both will be competing for roster spots this spring and could be candidates to be moved to the bullpen.

Minasian, though, said it¡¯s not necessarily a goal of the organization to select another fast mover through the system next year.

¡°There¡¯s no specific blueprint,¡± Minasian said. ¡°I don¡¯t look at it that way. But if you end up saving money early, you know you're going to get a high school player later on. But it¡¯s not necessarily a blueprint. We're going to look for the best talent, the best fit. There's some really good players in this Draft. We're excited to at least talk about them.¡±

Among the top prospects for next year¡¯s Draft are Oklahoma prep star Ethan Holliday, the brother of Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and the son of former All-Star Matt Holliday, and Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette. Others to keep an eye on are Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner and Corona (Calif.) High School right-hander Seth Hernandez.

¡°What you see in the summer is not what you see in the spring,¡± Minasian said. ¡±Guys change. Guys get bigger, guys get stronger, guys lean out. Repertoire changes, stuff changes, all those things. So we¡¯ll meet in the next month, month-and-a-half and come up with a preliminary board.¡±

Minasian also pointed out that there¡¯s more to it than just the first round, as the Angels need to hit on their later picks and will have a large signing pool next year because of their Draft position. They also get an extra pick after the third round after not signing third-rounder Ryan Prager last year.

¡°It obviously helps not just to have that individual pick but that pool money and everything that comes with it,¡± Minasian said. ¡°It¡¯s just really exciting.¡±