Angels take prep pitcher as top pick

The Angels shouldn’t have any problems coming to terms with their top pick in Thursday’s draft, Redlands East Valley High pitcher Tyler Chatwood, who was selected in the second round, with the 74th pick.

Chatwood, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-hander whose fastball has been clocked at 95 mph, has accepted a scholarship to UCLA but acknowledged Thursday that he’s “not at all likely” to play for the Bruins and hopes to sign with the Angels in “a couple of days.”

The Angels failed to sign their first-round pick in 2007, pitcher Matt Harvey, who went to North Carolina, but they appear poised to secure Chatwood with a signing bonus that is expected to be in the $475,000 range.

Chatwood was 9-1 with a 1.05 earned-run average in 11 starts this season, striking out 95 and walking 14 in 51 2/3 innings.

The Angels did not have a first-round selection after signing Torii Hunter as a free agent. With their third-round pick, the Angels chose outfielder Zach Cone, from Parkview High in Stone Mountain, Ga. As compensation for losing Harvey, the Angels received an additional third-round pick, and took right-handed pitcher Ryan Chaffee from Chipola Junior College in Valparaiso, Fla.

The Angels also selected left-handed pitcher Jeff Boshears from Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, Ala., outfielder Khiry Cooper from Calvary Baptist Academy in Louisiana, and left-handed pitcher Josh Blanco from Franklin High in El Paso.