The Angels opened the draft by taking a pair of shortstops, one of whom could move quickly to the big leagues.

The Angels took North Carolina State’s Will Wilson with their first pick, 15th overall, in the draft on Monday night. They picked 17-year-old Kyren Paris, from Freedom High in Oakley, Calif., with their second-round pick, which was 55th overall.

Wilson hit .335 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs, along with a .425 on-base percentage and a .661 slugging percentage this season.

“Part of it was just being true to our board and our valuations,” Angels scouting director Matt Swanson said. “Just being patient in the draft. We think extremely highly of Will on the field. He’s a middle infielder and the performance in a major conference speaks for itself. This is just an awesome, awesome young man and he will blend right in. He has a chance to move quick.”

Although some analysts have said Wilson is more advanced offensively than defensively, perhaps headed eventually to second base, Swanson said the Angels plan to try to keep him at shortstop.

“Our intention is to develop him at shortstop and allow his career to dictate where he goes,” Swanson said. “There is a high-end upside as a hitter. For us, we’re going to have him as a shortstop and see where it goes.”

Wilson was named Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He is also one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate shortstop.

The Angels had taken high school players – outfielders Jo Adell and Jordyn Adams – with their first pick each of the previous two years under Swanson. They took a college player, Matt Thaiss, with their first pick in 2016, which was the Angels’ first draft under General Manager Billy Eppler.

Swanson said there was no specific plan to go with any type of player with their first pick.

“Sometimes upside and impact manifests itself in different ways,” he said. “I think Will is very athletic and carries that upside in his own right. Sometimes it’s college. Sometimes it’s high school. Sometimes it’s a pitcher. Sometimes it’s a position player. Sometimes it comes in different packages. Will has a lot of what we’re looking for defensively, offensively and in character.”

With their second pick, the Angels did take a young player who has plenty of development in front of him. Paris doesn’t turn 18 until November.

He is also committed to play college baseball at Cal, which is Swanson’s alma mater.

“For me, it’s sort of bittersweet when he becomes an Angel because I’m a Cal guy myself,” Swanson said. “I’m breaking my own heart in some regard.”

Paris hit .306 with no homers in 19 games this season. He hit .312 over 91 games in his high school career.

“He is an awesome athlete, a really high-end shortstop,” Swanson said. “Long-term, there’s a lot of offensive upside as he grows and matures. When you capture a young dynamic talent like that it’s pretty exciting.”

The draft continues through Wednesday, with rounds 3-10 on Tuesday and rounds 11-40 on the final day.