ANAHEIM -- The Angels have had a clear strategy in recent Drafts of taking a premium prospect on Day 3 to sign to a large bonus with their savings from signing other players taken in earlier rounds to underslot deals.

In 2021, it was prep lefty Mason Albright selected in the 12th round. In '22, it was high school right-hander Caden Dana in the 11th round. Last year, it was prep shortstop John Wimmer in the 11th round.

So it was no surprise to see the Angels do it again on Tuesday on the final day of the 2024 Draft, selecting highly regarded Colorado prep right-hander Trey Gregory-Alford in the 11th round. They also added another candidate who could fit that mold in the 19th round, taking Alabama high school right-hander Connor Gatwood despite a strong commitment to Auburn.

Alford, who attended Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 105 Draft prospect, while Gatwood, who went to Baker High School in Mobile, Ala., is ranked No. 103.

Gregory-Alford, who shined at the MLB Draft Combine by reaching 99.7 mph and throwing the seven hardest pitches recorded at the event, is committed to the University of Virginia, but he is considered more likely to sign than Gatwood. The Angels are hopeful to sign them both, but it depends on exactly how much money they save in signing their first 11 picks over the first two days of the Draft. The Angels have a bonus pool of $12,990,400 this year.

¡°We followed him a lot over the summer and through the fall, a bunch of us took trips out to Colorado this year at different times to see him,¡± scouting director Tim McIlvaine said of Gregory-Alford. ¡°He¡¯s a big dude. He's got a big arm. We spent a lot time with him and really dotted the I's and crossed the T's on the makeup here as well. We really liked the kid and we think everything should come together with that one.¡±

It's still unclear if the Angels will be able to save any money on signing their first-round pick Christian Moore, who was the No. 13-ranked Draft prospect. His pick carries a slot value of $6.5 million. But they should be able to sign eighth-rounder Randy Flores, ninth-rounder Derek Clark and 10th-rounder Ryan Nicholson for under slot because they are college seniors.

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It should be enough to ink Gregory-Alford to a large bonus, much like they did with Albright, Dana and Gatwood. They also signed 11th-rounder Chase Silseth to a large bonus in 2021 and prep right-hander Barrett Kent to an overslot deal as an eight-rounder last year.

Dana is the club¡¯s No. 1 prospect. Albright was traded to the Rockies for Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron last year. Silseth was the first player to reach the Majors from the 2021 Draft. Kent is the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect.

So it¡¯s been an effective strategy in recent years, and they¡¯re hopeful it¡¯ll work out with Gregory-Alford, and possibly Gatwood as well. Gregory-Alford has a slightly bigger frame at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, and has a fastball that sits in the high 90s to go with a hard slider. But Gatwood is also 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds, possessing a fastball from the left side that has reached as high as 98 mph to go along with his slider and developing changeup. Gatwood, though, missed time with both a lat strain and a broken pitching hand sustained while batting this year.

¡°We¡¯ll make a really good run, but it depends on the money,¡± said McIlvaine. ¡°We¡¯re not going to have a ton of money left. But we¡¯ll make a good run to at least get one.¡±

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McIlvaine said the key going forward for high school pitchers is to work on their control and command, as Gregory-Alford has plenty of stuff but can be wild at times. He also only has a two-pitch mix, so he¡¯ll likely need to add to that to remain a starter.

¡°Some days he fills up the zone with strikes and then other days where there's a few extra balls in there that you probably didn¡¯t want to see,¡± McIlvaine said. ¡°But as big as he is, the body that he has, I think he's gonna grow into that a little bit more, it's got plenty of room for some good strength. I think once he can kind of control his delivery and be a little bit more consistent every time he's out there, I think we'll see more strikes."