The last notable non-drafted player picked up by the Angels was Matt Shoemaker, and I’d say he worked out pretty well. Taylor Blake Ward is reporting that Tolleson recently converted to a pitcher and he has a pretty cool scouting video (see below).
#Angels have signed RHP Sam Tolleson to a minor-league deal; former Cypress/CFU outfielder converted to pitching recently, impressed scouts
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) February 13, 2017
You can check out Tolleson’s stats here, although you won’t find much in the way of pitching stats other than the 2.2 innings he threw in 2014 for the college summer league team the Martinsville Mustangs.
Tolleson was hitting 92-94 MPH on scout day at Driveline Baseball. Check out the difference one year can make:
In light of Sam Tolleson sitting 92-94 (punching 93-95 on scouts guns) in yesterday's bullpen, here are his before and after mechanics pic.twitter.com/dh0rE5WGuH
— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) February 3, 2017
Undrafted guys like this have a tough road to the big leagues, but the above is some pretty cool data and videos. Good luck Sam Tolleson!