Zach Neto has continued to prove he is right where he belongs.
The Angels’ rookie shortstop logged his first career multi-home run game Sunday in a 9-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium.
And to think, around this time last year, Neto was playing for Campbell University in a College World Series super regional. In July 2022, he was drafted by the Angels, their first pick. On April 15, he was promoted to the big leagues after just 37 games in the minors.
But Neto doesn’t feel as if he has been here only a short while.
“That’s kind of gone away already,” Neto said. “I feel like I’ve been here for quite a bit. I just wake up, and it’s another day at the ballpark. I’m done having those [first] nerves. I feel very comfortable out there. It’s just handling business out there.”
Neto got to the Angels organization with no shortage of confidence.
His defense already is impressive, as he ranked in the top 10 among shortstops in defensive runs saved (four) going into Sunday. He has racked up a highlight reel of impressive plays in the infield and, from early on, earned the trust of pitchers.
In a game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, Neto entered to play shortstop in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, the Cubs’ Yan Gomes hit a line drive that had the potential to be too high for Neto to reach. Neto hopped up on one leg, catching the ball in his glove, landed and threw underhanded to second baseman Brandon Drury to get the third out at second.
Neto’s offense has been a continued work in progress. He has an on-base-plus-slugging rate of .741, is tied for second in the majors in hit by pitches (11) and has five stolen bases. He is batting .253 with 10 doubles, 20 RBIs and five home runs.
Both of his home runs Sunday were solo shots that made their way well over the left-field wall. He knew both times that as soon as the ball left his bat, it was gone.
“I knew I had enough to walk out of the box,” Neto said with a big grin.
Among the home crowd Sunday were children from West Orange Elementary School whom Neto visited in his first month with the team as part of the Angels’ Adopt-A-School program. They were excited to see the fireworks set off for Neto in his home run celebrations, one parent said, his daughter remembering Neto’s school visit.
The first part of the Neto show happened in the second inning against starter Logan Gilbert (4-4) and gave the Angels a 3-0 lead. His second shot came in the eighth off reliever Chris Flexen, a hit that plopped into the visitor’s bullpen before bouncing into the Angels’ bullpen.
Shohei Ohtani scores for the Angels in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Angel Stadium.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
The power bat is something he is capable of and something Angels manager Phil Nevin and the team know Neto will continue to work on through his career. But what has stood out about Neto the most has been how quickly his baseball instincts have translated at the highest level of the sport.
“You can say a guy’s got instincts in a college game,” Nevin said. “But put them in a major league game right out of college, I mean, I don’t think you’re going to see that come out right away.
“And I think we saw it in the first game he played at Yankee Stadium [on April 18], the force play at third [in the first inning]. We talk about that all the time. I just think the instinctual part of him is well beyond his years.”
The Angels improved to 36-31 with their sixth win in seven games.
