By Sarah Wilson, AngelsWin.com Columnist

Mark DeRosa, former MLB player & host of MLB Central, was given the incredible opportunity to manage Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this past spring. He was in need of a shortstop before the WBC tournament started, so he decided to call the Angels’ manager, Phil Nevin, to see if he could borrow a SS in time for the upcoming Team USA vs Angels scrimmage. Nevin decided to send 22 year old Zach Neto. DeRosa raved on MLB Central on June 13th, “Imagine walking into the dugout with the greatest position players in the world…He [Zach Neto] looked like he had been there for 10 years”.

It is no secret that the rookie has shown that he belongs in Major League Baseball. You can watch one game & take a glimpse at his uniform after the game’s conclusion to see the effort he puts on display to help his team win. You can also look at his slash line of .259/.338/.431 & his 111 OPS+ after just 55 games in MLB to know he’s bound to blossom into a solid hitter. Perhaps his .986 Fielding Percentage or his 3 Defensive Runs Saved (T-8th among all MLB shortstops) might begin to tell the story of his stellar defense. But what are some clear indicators that he will be continuing to impress us as time goes on? What makes him play like a seasoned vet? Let’s take a look at 3 key indicators & some of his stats that showcase Zach Neto’s inevitable success in Major League Baseball.

1. Chase Rate + K Rate = Plate Discipline

It’s pretty simple, the kid does not chase bad pitches & is patient at the plate with an emphasis on contact. Surely, saying Neto “doesn’t chase” sounds hyperbolic, but for a player that was playing college ball about 13 months ago, Neto already sits in the 77th percentile among the rest of MLB in Chase Rate. Chase Rate is essentially how often one is chasing pitches that are outside of the strike zone. Chase Rate is calculated by dividing total swings & misses at pitches out of the zone by total pitches seen outside of the zone. Neto’s Chase Rate is 23.5%, & league average is currently 28.4%. If we assume that the average MLB starter has seen around 1000 pitches this point into the season, Neto has swung at around 50 LESS pitches out of the zone than the rest of the league. Brendan Donovan & Sean Murphy are also placed in the 77th percentile.

Not only does he recognize spin/break on pitches proficiently for a 22 year old, but Neto is also striking out less frequently than the average MLB player. Neto has struck out around 18.6% of the time, which places him in the 68th percentile among the 22.1% MLB average. In comparison, Mike Trout’s K% in his 1st full season was 21.8%.

If we compare Neto to other qualified rookies currently in the league, we can see that Neto is outpacing players like Anthony Volpe (28.9 Chase% & 29.8 K%), Corbin Carroll (24.8 Chase% & 19.6 K%), & Josh Jung (30.6 Chase% & 25.6 K%).

2. Opposite Field Power

Hitting to the opposite field, or having opposite-field power, is not a skill that comes easily or naturally to most baseball players. The large majority find most of their power & strength in “pulling the ball” towards the same side of the field that they stand on when batting; it typically comes more naturally (think “see ball, hit ball”). The bat has a longer time to travel through the strike zone, which in turn creates more power to hit the ball. Current MLB players may do the same, & we used defenses react to this by putting on Defensive Shifts. 

“Hitting To The Opposite Field” refers to hitting a pitch to the opposite side of the batter's box that said batter is standing in. A Right Handed Batter’s “Opposite Field” would be Right Field, as they stand on the left side of home plate (& vice versa for lefties). In order to even have a shot of sending a ball to the opposite field, the batter must do a few things, including letting the ball travel deeper into the strike zone (say somewhere between their belly button & back hip joint). In contrast to pulling a pitch, letting a pitch travel deeper does not give the batter much time to create as much power in a swing. You may hear commentators refer to a player “punching” or “slapping” a hit to the opposite field, simply because it is not normally a strong hit.

Despite his 6 ft, 185 lb frame at only 22, Neto has this “skill” of generating Extra Base Hit power to the opposite field. Being a super strong player physically, like Shohei Ohtani (b) for example, coupled with allowing yourself more time to see a pitch & letting it travel is a very simplified yet trying recipe for success when it comes to hitting to all fields. For a Rookie, this is an incredible skill that screams “long term success”, as hitting to all fields is not typically an accident. He is seeing & recognizing spin & location well, which allows him to wait on a good pitch to drive up the middle of to right field. We can take a look at his Spray Chart, a chart showing where hitters tend to hit pitches, & see that he has begun his career covering all fields well. He has a 25.7 Opposite Field%, which is just a few points higher than the MLB average (25.4%). His average Exit Velocity on hits to the Opposite Field is 91.6 MPH, which is faster than the MLB 88.4 MPH average on all batted balls.

(a) (b)

3. Elite-Level Defense

Some say you can learn to play a certain position in baseball, however most will argue that the greats were born to play a position. It is clear that Zach Neto was born to be a shortstop, as he is not only efficient, but also fluid & smooth throughout his fielding motions. You can teach the skills, however the instincts & comfortability are much harder to master, let alone learn. Putting your body on the line to make plays takes a lot of practice, but also a lot of confidence. Zach Neto EXUDES confidence, & he also makes the routine AND tough plays.

Let’s take a look at a stat called Range Factor (RF). Range Factor divides a fielder’s putouts & assists by the amount of defensive games or innings they’ve played. RF per 9 innings is a great way to measure how many plays a defender is involved in, while also taking the amount of innings they’ve played into consideration. Neto currently LEADS all of MLB shortstops in this stat with 4.12, meaning he’s involved in a little over 4 plays per 9 innings. Coupled with this, he leads all shortstops in Fielding % (.986). This shows not only that Neto is getting a ton of opportunities to be involved in plays, but that he’s also converting these opportunities into assists or putouts.

He also makes plays like this, so

It is an exciting time to be an Angels fan for a multitude of reasons, however having a potential captain-esque player at the shortstop position should be at the top of your list. The next time someone asks you who the AL Rookie of The Year is, you'll now be prepared to go to bat for Zach Neto.

Stay Heavenly Halo Fans!

-Swilly

In case you missed it, check out our exclusive interview with Zach Neto from last fall while playing for the Rocket City Trash Pandas.