Keith Law's Top 100....

[DMVol]

https://theathletic.com/4132943/2023/01/30/top-100-mlb-prospects-2023-keith-law/?source=pulsenewsletter&campaign=6026672

Neto  59, O'Hoppe 61, Quero 93.....if you have a subscription to The Athletic....

[OhtaniSan]

59. Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels

Age: 22 | 6-0 | 185 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 13 in 2022

Last year’s ranking: Ineligible

Neto bashed his way to the top half of the first round last spring, as the Campbell Camels shortstop hit .407/.514/.769 with 15 homers and 19 steals, leading the Angels to take him with the 13th pick and run him almost directly to Double A. He seemed unfazed by the aggressive promotion, hitting .320/.382/.492 in 30 games for Rocket City with just a 21 percent strikeout rate — amazing for any 21-year-old, but even more so for someone who was just two months out of the Big South. Neto is a definite shortstop who projects to be a plus defender, while at the plate he’s got some extra movement before he gets his swing going but then is very short to the ball. He makes above-average contact, but doesn’t post elite exit velocities, getting to his power so far by consistently hitting the ball on a line, getting good carry for line-drive homers rather than big flies. That might turn into a lot more doubles and fewer homers as he moves up and faces better pitching. Because of his high contact rates to date and ability to play short at a high level, even that would make him a strong regular. If the homers do last, he might be even more. 

 

 

 

 

61. Logan O’Hoppe, C, Los Angeles Angels

Age: 23 | 6-2 | 185 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 677 in 2018

Last year’s ranking: Unranked

O’Hoppe started 2022 as the starting catcher for Double-A Reading, and ended it catching for the Angels in the big leagues after he headed west in the trade that brought Brandon Marsh’s beard to Philly. O’Hoppe’s year was one of the best of any hitter in the minors, as he hit .283/.416/.544, with 26 homers, 70 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 104 games between Reading and Double-A Rocket City, and unlike a lot of hitters who go off in Reading, he did way more damage on the road. It’s good but not elite contact quality, boosted by his tendency to hit the ball in the air and get under pitches rather than on top. He’s a solid-average receiver with average-ish arm strength, enough that he won’t get exploited by runners but won’t shut down the run game either. His value is in what his bat brings in a true catcher, with 20-plus homers a year and strong walk rates that make him an above-average regular who might have an All-Star season or two.

 

 

93. Edgar Quero, C, Los Angeles Angels

Age: 20 | 5-11 | 170 pounds
Bats: Both | Throws: Right
International signing in 2021

Last year’s rank: Unranked

Quero took a big step forward last year, showing an advanced feel to hit that gives him a high probability of a big-league career because of his position. He’s a switch-hitter with a strong approach from both sides of the plate, showing plate discipline unusual for his age and experience, with more medium contact quality than hard contact. That means that even with 17 homers last year in the Cal League (a good place to hit), he might be more of a high-average/OBP guy with 10-15 homers a year at his peak. He has the skills to be an above-average defensive catcher, but he’s not that consistent behind the plate yet. He’s from Cuba and signed shortly before his 18th birthday because of the pandemic, so he entered 2022 with just 39 games of pro experience, meaning there’s a lot of room for him to continue to improve behind the plate. He doesn’t look like he’ll get a lot stronger, but that’s the only thing keeping him from projecting as a star.

[OhtaniSan]

Is O'Hoppe really only 185lbs? That seems oddly light for a 6'2 catcher

[jsnpritchett]

16 minutes ago, OhtaniSan said:

Is O'Hoppe really only 185lbs? That seems oddly light for a 6'2 catcher

The Angels website, Baseball-reference.com, and others all list him at that weight. The Perfect Game scouting site had him at 6'3", 205 in high school:  https://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=508310

 

[TempeAngel]

I wonder if Silseth or Bush were under consideration...

[ten ocho recon scout]

Really hoping Neto works out. That would be huge.

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, OhtaniSan said:

Is O'Hoppe really only 185lbs? That seems oddly light for a 6'2 catcher

Having interviewed him in person and talked with him extensively after, he's definitely not only 185lbs. Dude is ripped but he's got a really good frame and a little bulk on him. 

[Angelsjunky]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Having interviewed him in person and talked with him extensively after, he's definitely not only 185lbs. Dude is ripped but he's got a really good frame and a little bulk on him. 

Chuck, we really need a reaction emoji of that guy from To Catch A Predator.

 

[ten ocho recon scout]

20 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Chuck, we really need a reaction emoji of that guy from To Catch A Predator.

 

This one for when Ohtani does something cool.

[HeavenlyHalos]

That review has me very excited for Neto. Possibly the 2024 starting shortstop which makes sense why they are doing patch jobs on it for this year. Having an above average hitter at the position would solve a lot of our issues. Same with O'Hoppe really at the Catcher position. Can we please just add a reliever or two before the season? The lack of depth has killed this team over the past decade.

[TempeAngel]

Hearing good things about Neto but 2024 could be a stretch. He's only played 37 MiLB games.

[Don]

21 minutes ago, TempeAngel said:

Hearing good things about Neto but 2024 could be a stretch. He's only played 37 MiLB games.

Yeah, I’d really like to know more about how Neto projects/his general timeline. Because I’d believe a wide range of outcomes and timelines at this point. Gotta admit the AA numbers fresh off of getting drafted are really encouraging though. Glad the Angels are inviting him to big league ST. Hoping we’ll get to see a good number of ABs out of him against high level competition before the season starts. 

I feel really good about O’Hoppe. I’ll honestly be disappointed if he doesn’t get the starting job out of ST. We already know what Stassi is, and I think it’s highly likely that O’Hoppe will do at least as well as him offensively, and quite possibly much better. His minor league power/BB/K numbers suggest he’s a dude that knows how to hit, and he isn’t just getting by on being more talented than others at his level. I feel like that skill set transitions well to the big leagues.

[TempeAngel]

I agree with all of that. Time will tell.

[UndertheHalo]

I have been to led to believe that Keith Law is a bad baseball man because he was not effusive enough in his reaction to the acquisitions of Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury.  Top 100 null and void imo. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

41 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

I have been to led to believe that Keith Law is a bad baseball man because he was not effusive enough in his reaction to the acquisitions of Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury.  Top 100 null and void imo. 

Big if true

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

I have been to led to believe that Keith Law is a bad baseball man because he was not effusive enough in his reaction to the acquisitions of Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury.  Top 100 null and void imo. 

Plus he writes for The Wokethletic.

[Wisconsin27]

I'm just not behind the rush to get O'Hoppe to the bigs.  Why not let him grow in the minors for a bit longer?  Catching is such a difficult position and it seems like we always push players up before they are truly ready.  I would have much preferred we brought in a cheap vet behind Stassi to start the year.  We could then let O'Hoppe get some regular time under his belt and advance when he's truly ready.  I hope I'm wrong, though!

[UndertheHalo]

They should simply sign this Sanchez character. 

[Angelsjunky]

O'Hoppe will be assessed in spring training. If he looks ripe, he'll platoon with Stassi. If he looks like he could use a few more reps, he'll be sent to AAA and be back within a month or two after we all get sick of Godoy or Wallach. 

That said, I do like the idea of seeing Thaiss for the first month, as insurance for Walsh in case his struggles continue into this year. Still think Thaiss could hit reasonably well if given consistent playing time.

[Pancake Bear]

53 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

O'Hoppe will be assessed in spring training. If he looks ripe, he'll platoon with Stassi. If he looks like he could use a few more reps, he'll be sent to AAA and be back within a month or two after we all get sick of Godoy or Wallach. 

That said, I do like the idea of seeing Thaiss for the first month, as insurance for Walsh in case his struggles continue into this year. Still think Thaiss could hit reasonably well if given consistent playing time.

Uh, isn't that what Urshela is for? 

[DMVol]

26 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Uh, isn't that what Urshela is for? 

Urshela and/or Drury, who has played some 1b too….

[Revad]

11 hours ago, OhtaniSan said:

ended it catching for the Angels in the big leagues after he headed west in the trade that brought Brandon Marsh’s beard to Philly.

Damn it I really liked Marsh and his beard

[Angelsjunky]

2 hours ago, Pancake Bear said:

Uh, isn't that what Urshela is for? 

No, he's there to replace Rendon once he gets hurt on May 10th.

[Make Angels Great Again]

I think AJ meant Thaiss could be the backup catcher for the first month instead of Wallach.

 

that month could be more assessment time for Thaiss for a number of roles.

[TempeAngel]

6 hours ago, UndertheHalo said:

I have been to led to believe that Keith Law is a bad baseball man because he was not effusive enough in his reaction to the acquisitions of Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury.  Top 100 null and void imo. 

Really nice use of "effusive".