Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

The fact that Haley was a Top 100 prospect and one of the better high school lefties in the 2025 Draft class is a testament to his resilience. He had Tommy John surgery before high school, internal brace surgery on the elbow his junior year and a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in between. The Mississippi prep standout had a solid -- and healthy -- senior season and the Angels pulled their typical post-10th round magic by taking him in Round 12 and going way over slot with a bonus approaching $900,000 to keep him from heading to Vanderbilt.

Haley has the chance to have a legitimate four-pitch mix and enough feel to be a starter. He sits in the low 90s with a fastball featuring plenty of carry and armside run, touching 97 mph during his senior year. His breaking pitches can blur into each other at times, but at their best he has a distinct hammer of a low-80s curve and a slightly harder slider. His low-80s changeup can kill spin, though he hasn’t thrown it a ton.

Athletic on the mound, Haley moves down the mound well with good extension. He throws strikes and repeats his delivery, even if it has a bit of a head dunk. There’s no question about his makeup -- not only did he overcome that adversity, he learned to throw right-handed so he could keep playing as a position player while rehabbing his elbow and he played through his chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

One of the most talented prep left-handers and one of the best human-interest stories in the 2025 Draft, Haley has overcome Tommy John surgery on his left elbow before his high school career began, non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosed after recovering from that surgery and another UCL tear that led to internal brace surgery his junior season. He played throughout it all, learning to throw right-handed so he could stay on the field while rehabbing as well as playing through his chemotherapy and radiation treatments. A healthy senior season helped him get nearly $900,000 from the Angels in the 12th round to sign him away from his Vanderbilt commitment.

Largely unknown before he attended the Super 60 Showcase in February, Haley opened eyes by working with a 91-94 mph fastball with carry and armside run, and he maintained that velocity while topping out at 97 as a senior. He has a hammer low-80s curveball, as well as a solid slider with a bit more power, though it sometimes blends into and detracts from his curve. He also shows the ability to kill spin on a low-80s changeup but hasn't needed to utilize it much.

Haley comes from an athletic family that includes a father (Jimmy) who played in the Canadian Football League, a mother (Shelley) who played college basketball at West Virginia Wesleyan and a brother (Gage) who pitches at Arkansas-Little Rock. Talon moves down the mound well, creating plenty of extension and provides strikes with a clean delivery that has a bit of a head dunk. He provides the Angels with plenty of upside, though he’ll obviously have to put his injury history behind him.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Haley is both one of the most talented prep left-handers and one of the best human-interest stories in the 2025 Draft. He had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow before his high school career began, though he learned to throw right-handed so he could play while rehabbing. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma after recovering from his elbow reconstruction and continued to play while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He was pronounced cancer-free in December 2022 but suffered another tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow last spring, requiring internal brace surgery that truncated his junior season and kept him off the showcase circuit.

Largely unknown before he attended the Super 60 Showcase in February, Haley opened eyes by working with a 91-94 mph fastball with carry and armside run, and he has maintained that velocity while topping out at 97 as a senior. He has a hammer low-80s curveball, as well as a solid slider with a bit more power, though it sometimes blends into and detracts from his curve. He also shows the ability to kill spin on a low-80s changeup but hasn't needed to utilize it much.

Haley comes from an athletic family that includes a father (Jimmy) who played in the Canadian Football League, a mother (Shelley) who played college basketball at West Virginia Wesleyan and a brother (Gage) who pitches at Arkansas-Little Rock. Talon moves down the mound well, creating plenty of extension and provides strikes with a clean delivery that has a bit of a head dunk. Teams aren't sure how they should treat his medical history and lack of track record, so he could wind up at Vanderbilt, where he'd be a Draft-eligible sophomore in 2027.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/02/2026	LHP Talon Haley assigned to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes from ACL Angels.
	03/05/2026	LHP Talon Haley assigned to Los Angeles Angels Prospects.
	08/04/2025	ACL Angels activated LHP Talon Haley.
	08/04/2025	LHP Talon Haley assigned to ACL Angels.
	07/21/2025	Los Angeles Angels signed LHP Talon Haley.
	05/27/2025	LHP Talon Haley assigned to College Workout.