3 months ago
The 2026 MLB draft came and went, with the Angels selecting 15 players among the 20 rounds. With interim general manager John Mozeliak now in charge, he allowed scouting director Tim McIlvaine more freedom in the draft.
As Mozeliak said when he was appointed interim GM, he wanted to focus on the draft and finding key players to help this ballclub's farm system and win in the future.
With the 12th overall pick, the Angels selected 17-year-old Jared Grindlinger out of Huntington Beach High School. This pick breaks the seven-year streak of the Halos selecting a college player with their first-round pick.
Grindlinger is a 6 '3, left-handed outfielder who batted .376 in 2026. He had an OPS of 1.000, combined with 22 RBI's, two home runs, two triples, and 10 doubles. While Grindlinger is an offensive threat and plays well in the outfield, he is also a decent left-handed pitcher. His versatility will certainly fit into the Halos' future.
To top it off, Grindlinger grew up an Angels fan. He's said that "it's been surreal," as he officially signed with the Halos and visited the stadium on July 18. It's no surprise to see the Angels go after Anaheim natives.
#grindlinger #players #future
As Mozeliak said when he was appointed interim GM, he wanted to focus on the draft and finding key players to help this ballclub's farm system and win in the future.
With the 12th overall pick, the Angels selected 17-year-old Jared Grindlinger out of Huntington Beach High School. This pick breaks the seven-year streak of the Halos selecting a college player with their first-round pick.
Grindlinger is a 6 '3, left-handed outfielder who batted .376 in 2026. He had an OPS of 1.000, combined with 22 RBI's, two home runs, two triples, and 10 doubles. While Grindlinger is an offensive threat and plays well in the outfield, he is also a decent left-handed pitcher. His versatility will certainly fit into the Halos' future.
To top it off, Grindlinger grew up an Angels fan. He's said that "it's been surreal," as he officially signed with the Halos and visited the stadium on July 18. It's no surprise to see the Angels go after Anaheim natives.
#grindlinger #players #future
4 months ago
The 2026 MLB Draft will be another busy one for Tennessee baseball.
At least three Tennessee players have been selected every year since 2018, and that seems ***** ured to continue this year. Starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns is a projected first-round pick and infielder Henry Ford, catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright and reliever Bo Rhudy were also on MLB.com's list of the top 250 prospects.
Potential top-20 selections Jared Grindlinger and Trevor Condon headline the Vols' highly touted recruiting class that featured 11 invitees to the draft combine. Those drafted out of high school with have to weigh the decision to go pro or play in college.
The 2026 MLB Draft will take place over two days on July 11-12. The first day will feature of rounds 1-4, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, with coverage of the first 10 picks will on NBC and Peacock and the remainder on MLB Network and MLB.com.
The second day, which consists of rounds 5-20, will begin at 11:30 a.m. with coverage on MLB.com.
At least three Tennessee players have been selected every year since 2018, and that seems ***** ured to continue this year. Starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns is a projected first-round pick and infielder Henry Ford, catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright and reliever Bo Rhudy were also on MLB.com's list of the top 250 prospects.
Potential top-20 selections Jared Grindlinger and Trevor Condon headline the Vols' highly touted recruiting class that featured 11 invitees to the draft combine. Those drafted out of high school with have to weigh the decision to go pro or play in college.
The 2026 MLB Draft will take place over two days on July 11-12. The first day will feature of rounds 1-4, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, with coverage of the first 10 picks will on NBC and Peacock and the remainder on MLB Network and MLB.com.
The second day, which consists of rounds 5-20, will begin at 11:30 a.m. with coverage on MLB.com.
4 months ago
Jared Grindlinger made a big move heading into the 2026 season by choosing to undergo reclassification to shift from a junior to a senior in order to take the next step in his development and move even closer to the next level of his baseball career.
It was a move that clearly paid off. The Huntington Beach High School two-way player made an impression as both a pitcher and a hitter in his senior season that was so strong that he now profiles as a first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft as MLB's no. 16 prospect.
"It was kind of crushing at first, but we understood what he was doing," Huntington Beach head coach Benji Medure said of Grindlinger's decision to reclassify. "Over the year, you could see him grow and you could see him focus and you could see him do all the little things that a great senior leader would do... The biggest thing that I got out of it was his leadership qualities and how he handled himself. That's what I'm most proud of."
In a way, Grindlinger was following in the footsteps of his older brother Trent, a catcher at the University of Tennessee who just wrapped up his freshman season with the Volunteers. Jared is a Tennessee commit as well, but the Big League's are surely calling for him.
Jumping to senior year was clearly a calculated for Grindlinger and he managed to keep up with the physical demands by adding what he said was 15 pounds and by building his confidence to get ready to compete at the next level.
It was a move that clearly paid off. The Huntington Beach High School two-way player made an impression as both a pitcher and a hitter in his senior season that was so strong that he now profiles as a first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft as MLB's no. 16 prospect.
"It was kind of crushing at first, but we understood what he was doing," Huntington Beach head coach Benji Medure said of Grindlinger's decision to reclassify. "Over the year, you could see him grow and you could see him focus and you could see him do all the little things that a great senior leader would do... The biggest thing that I got out of it was his leadership qualities and how he handled himself. That's what I'm most proud of."
In a way, Grindlinger was following in the footsteps of his older brother Trent, a catcher at the University of Tennessee who just wrapped up his freshman season with the Volunteers. Jared is a Tennessee commit as well, but the Big League's are surely calling for him.
Jumping to senior year was clearly a calculated for Grindlinger and he managed to keep up with the physical demands by adding what he said was 15 pounds and by building his confidence to get ready to compete at the next level.
4 months ago
Four Tennessee baseball players and 11 more signees were invited to the 2026 MLB Draft Combine, which will take place June 23-26 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Players from this year's team invited were pitchers Tegan Kuhns and Bo Rhudy as well as third baseman Henry Ford and outfielder/catcher Garrett Wright, which were included on a list of 194 draft-eligible college players.
The 11 members of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class invited were pitcher/outfielder Jared Grindlinger, outfielder Trevor Condon, pitcher/shortstop Cole Koeninger, catcher Sean Dunlap, pitcher Kaiden McCarthy, pitcher Gary Morse, shortstop Jack Dugan, pitcher Gannon Grant, outfielder AJ Curry, pitcher Tyler Putnam and pitcher Shawn Sullivan.
There will be 334 players at the combine, which will also feature 140 high school prospects.
Kuhns is Tennessee’s highest ranked draft prospect as a potential first-round pick, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 24 prospect in this year’s class. As a sophomore this season, he went 5-5 with a 3.56 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 16 walks in 81 innings.
Players from this year's team invited were pitchers Tegan Kuhns and Bo Rhudy as well as third baseman Henry Ford and outfielder/catcher Garrett Wright, which were included on a list of 194 draft-eligible college players.
The 11 members of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class invited were pitcher/outfielder Jared Grindlinger, outfielder Trevor Condon, pitcher/shortstop Cole Koeninger, catcher Sean Dunlap, pitcher Kaiden McCarthy, pitcher Gary Morse, shortstop Jack Dugan, pitcher Gannon Grant, outfielder AJ Curry, pitcher Tyler Putnam and pitcher Shawn Sullivan.
There will be 334 players at the combine, which will also feature 140 high school prospects.
Kuhns is Tennessee’s highest ranked draft prospect as a potential first-round pick, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 24 prospect in this year’s class. As a sophomore this season, he went 5-5 with a 3.56 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 16 walks in 81 innings.
