LOS ANGELES ― The Angels selected college shortstop Zach Neto of Campbell University with the 13th overall pick in MLB’s amateur draft on Sunday.

Neto was chosen the Big South Conference Player of the Year after a redshirt sophomore season in which he batted .407 with 15 home runs in 53 games. He also stole 19 bases in 20 attempts and drew 39 walks compared to 19 strikeouts.

Neto also pitched in college, but he will begin his professional career exclusively as a shortstop.

“I’m a very exciting player,” Neto said. “I bring a lot of energy. I’m Cuban so I tend to be loud. I bring a lot of energy, a lot of confidence.”

For the Angels, who used all 20 of their draft picks last year on pitchers, the selection of Neto signaled a new direction under first-year scouting director Tim McIlvaine.

Neto was projected as a mid-first-round pick by most evaluators in a draft that was considered light on pitching talent at the top. He amassed a .403 batting average in three years with Campbell along with 40 doubles, five triples, 27 home runs and 108 RBIs.

“First of all, he moves really well. Great body control,” McIlvaine said via Zoom. “He throws well laterally, to his left and to his right. Doesn’t get himself out. Doesn’t chase. Athleticism up the middle. That was a big focus for us.”

Neto, flanked by his parents and siblings at Xbox Plaza, described the moment his name was called by Commissioner Rob Manfred as the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

The dream will continue on Monday, when Neto will mingle with Angels All-Stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. The draft was held in Los Angeles (and outdoors) for the first time ever, in conjunction with the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game.

It all amounts to a whirlwind tour for Neto, who was among a small group of players and families who traveled in from the East Coast to attend the draft in person.

“He’s living our childhood dream of one day becoming a professional baseball player,” said his father, Joaquin.

PHOTOS: Emotions were flowing during the first day of the MLB draft at Xbox Plaza.

The Angels will make eight selections Monday in rounds 3-10 and will have 10 selections on Tuesday to conclude the draft.

With their only Day 1 pick, the Dodgers selected University of Louisville catcher Dalton Rushing with the first pick of the second round, 40th overall.

Rushing is the third Louisville player – and second catcher, along with Will Smith – to be chosen by the Dodgers with a first-round draft pick in the last seven years. The Dodgers chose Cardinals pitcher Bobby Miller with their first pick last year.

The Dodgers were required to move down 10 slots as a penalty for exceeding a $290 million payroll – the third tier of MLB’s competitive balance tax structure.

Rushing, a left-handed hitter, slashed .290/.442/.630 with 28 homers and 82 RBIs in 102 college games. He was the backup to Henry Davis, the first overall pick last year, as a sophomore. He played some first base as a junior, but was drafted as a catcher.

Dodgers amateur scouting director Billy Gasparino said Rushing has the “perfect mind for the position.”

“His athleticism can go underappreciated,” Gasparino said via Zoom. “Multi-position is possible down the road.”

Rushing said both Smith and Miller texted him after the pick was announced.

“I’ve met Will a handful of times,” Rushing said via Zoom. “I saw him in January at our leadoff banquet. He told me to enjoy every second because it comes at you quick.”

The Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks made history by selecting the sons of two former major leaguers with the first and second picks, respectively.

High school shortstop Jackson Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday, was taken by Baltimore with the first overall pick. High school outfielder Druw Jones, the son of five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder Andruw Jones, went to Arizona with the second pick.

Pitcher Kumar Rocker improved his draft position in the last year. The hard-throwing former Vanderbilt right-hander was chosen third overall by the Texas Rangers, one year after he was taken 10th overall by the New York Mets but did not sign amid reported medical concerns. The 6-foot-5 Rocker has been pitching injury-free for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the independent Frontier League for the last month, drawing the attention of scouts along the way.

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Georgia high school shortstop Termarr Johnson, chosen fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, was the first player to hear his name called in person. He celebrated with the 20 or so family members who joined him on the trip in person before hugging Manfred on stage.

Afterward, the 18-year-old product of baseball’s Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities program was asked about the experience of getting a “celebrity treatment” in Los Angeles for the draft.

“Glad I’m out here,” he said. “I’m just trying to spend time with my girlfriend.”

MLB said this draft marked the first in which four of the first five picks were Black.

The Mets selected Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada, a former Loyola High standout, with the 11th pick. The Boston Red Sox took Orange Lutheran shortstop Mikey Romero with the 24th pick.

Justin Crawford, a son of four-time All-Star Carl Crawford, was taken by Philadelphia at No. 17. Crawford is an outfielder from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.

The draft resumes with the start of the third round on Monday at 11 a.m. PT and 616 players in all are to be selected in the 20 rounds over three days.