Angels Coveted Thaiss’ Bat

LOS ANGELES—The Angels used their first-round pick on a college catcher for the second straight year, selecting Virginia’s Matt Thaiss with the 16th overall pick.

But that doesn’t mean Taylor Ward, a former Fresno State catcher and the Angels’ first-round pick in 2015, will have any more competition behind the plate as he rises through the system.

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Though most scouts believe Thaiss has the arm to catch, they aren’t sold on his receiving and blocking skills. And both Thaiss, who played some right field in high school and first base in college, and scouting director Ric Wilson indicated there is a good chance Thaiss will switch positions.

“We haven’t settled in on anything, and we haven’t ruled anything out,” Wilson said. “We were trying to acquire the bat. He’s a versatile guy. As he’s working his way through the system, he’ll likely fall into a place he’ll feel comfortable in.”

Thaiss is open to a switch.

“I love catching and being involved in every play, but I’m definitely open to playing other positions,” he said. “I definitely have a comfort level at first base. I’m a team guy, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Wilson called the 6-foot, 195-pound Thaiss “one of the top hitters in this year’s draft.” Thaiss led led Virginia in average (.375), home runs (10), runs batted in (59), total bases (134), slugging percentage (.578) and on-base percentage (.473) this season.

A product of Jackson (N.J.) Memorial High, Thaiss played sparingly as a freshman. He won the catching job as a sophomore and hit .323 with a .413 OBP, .512 slugging percentage and 10 homers to help the Cavaliers win the College World Series.

There was some concern among scouts last summer when Thaiss had a .149/.197/.254 slash line in 67 at-bats in the wood-bat Cape Cod League and showed poor strike-zone judgment, with 18 strikeouts and two walks.

But the lefthanded-hitting Thaiss, who has good power to all fields, reversed that trend as a junior, striking out 16 times and drawing 39 walks in 232 at-bats.

“His control of the zone, his ability to make contact to all fields, the easiness of his swing, his pitch recognition and plate discipline … all these things led us to believe he’ll be an above-average hitter or better,” Wilson said.

ANGEL FOOD

• The Angels used their second-round pick (60th overall) on Brandon Marsh, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound outfielder from Buford High School in suburban Atlanta. Marsh hit .559 with nine strikeouts and he was a standout receiver on the football team. He has above-average speed, a strong arm, and Wilson believes he will develop power from the left side. Some scouts have compared him to Houston slugger Colby Rasmus.

“He runs well enough to play center field and has the arm to play the corners,” Wilson said. “The raw tools he has are very exciting.”