AngelsWin.com

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. 
View the full article

Jared Walsh is no stranger to swinging himself out of a slow start. His debut season back in 2019 saw him log an OPS of .605 through 79 Major League AB’s before rocketing into All-Star form. This trend follows Walsh all the way back to the Minors as well. His breakout 2018 season saw Walsh hit .172 over the last few weeks of April into early May before blowing up with a Cal League leading 14 HRs to end the second month of the season. Though Walsh may only have seven hits through his first 63 ABs more than half are doubles as he has recorded four on the year. Walsh has shown that his pitch recognition and strike zone control still exist at a Major League level, in fact he is currently walking at a far higher rate than he ever has at the Major League level. Walsh has 11 walks on year which outpaces his All-Star season by nearly double as 2021 saw him walk just 6 times through his first 60 ABs. The tools for success are still there, it just requires a little more time to bring it all together. 

At minimum a guy like Walsh should be getting a hundred something ABs before making any rash decisions, especially considering this thin infield depth. We haven’t seen nearly enough time pass to truly make judgement on Walsh in just his first month back. The unfortunately thin organizational depth at 1B has made it so that the Angels have no choice but to let Walsh get back on his feet at the Major League level. Sure you have prospects like Trey Cabbage seemingly ready to go offensively, though his glove at 1B still needs some work before it's Major League ready. At least with Walsh you know you will get plus-defense with a real potential at All-Star offensive production. Add in the fact that a 40 man spot would need to be cleared for Cabbage and suddenly the move becomes less feasible. That being said I do truly believe in Cabbages offensive potential with his .957 OPS on the year alongside 18 HRs to tie Jo Adell and one other for league leader in Triple A. Perhaps if Cabbage were more developed defensively this would be a different conversation, but as of now that is not the case. 

The Angels aren’t exactly hurting for offense either. Among all Major League teams the Angels currently rank top 6 across multiple offensive categories including HRs, RBIs, Runs, Total Bases, and OPS. While you don’t ever want to wave away the ability to get better the Angels are not in a position to make hasty decisions in order to rush some extra offense to the lineup. Half the lineup has at least 10 HRs so far (Drury, Renfroe, Trout, Ohtani) with Taylor Ward and Zach Neto slowly creeping their way up the power rankings. The majority of those hitters are healthy, aside from the recently injured Neto, which brings a sense of plausibility to maintained offensive success going forward. The Angels have enough leeway to afford the time needed to let Walsh get his swing back in order out of the 9-spot. 

I understand the thick of the playoff push has people wanting to make improvements quick enough to keep up with the chase but as it stands the best course of action is to allow Jared Walsh the space and trust to return to his All-Star form. Moving for an external replacement at 1B would be straight back to square zero in terms of organizational progression. The offensive output of someone like Paul Goldschmidt may have a distinct allure when paired with this lineup, but a trade for him would only return the Angels to their previously broken M.O of collecting overpaid veterans. Taking on a 26 million dollar multi year contract for a 35 year old 1B does nothing to improve the Angels ability to resign Shohei Ohtani come free agency. On top of that you'd have to tear up the prospect floorboards in order to swing a trade to bring in the Cardinals former MVP. Considering contract and ability I’ll take an arbitration eligible potential All-Star at the tenth of the cost of a potential MVP especially when it keeps you flexible enough for Ohtani. 

Sure you have some guys on the big league roster who could theoretically play first base but realistically they can’t cover enough time to justify taking significant reps from Walsh right now. Matt Thaiss is a fine option every now and then but with the Angels catching depth already so thin you need to prioritize affording the Thaiss/Wallach tandem adequate days off. The health of both catchers is essential to season-long success and needs to be treated as such. Drury can play 1B but with Neto injured you’re going to want him at second as much as possible to avoid Luis Rengifo ABs. Gio Urshela is unfortunately down for the count, leaving the Angels tapping the bottom of the well with Andrew Velazquez now getting Major League reps. The Angels just don’t have the infield flexibility to stomach losing another incumbent glove right now, especially one with the offensive potential that Walsh brings.

The road to playoffs is paved with patience and measured decision making. If you start cutting players because of one bad month you’d whittle your roster down to the nuts and bolts in the dugout seats before half a season has passed. Guys like Matt Thaiss would have never had a chance to become the essential contributor he is if we judged everyone on their first month. For now the team needs stability any way they can get even if the offense may not yet be there. A healthy and productive Walsh makes this lineup look absolutely filthy and it would be a massive disservice to rob both the team and the fans of the opportunity to see him swinging at his best. For now we're just going to have to stick it out for the time being, for better or worse, until this rosters health shapes back up. Until then the Angels aren't in any position to consciously remove options from the table at the Major League level.
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

Jared Walsh is no stranger to swinging himself out of a slow start. His debut season back in 2019 saw him log an OPS of .605 through 79 Major League AB’s before rocketing into All-Star form. This trend follows Walsh all the way back to the Minors as well. His breakout 2018 season saw Walsh hit .172 over the last few weeks of April into early May before blowing up with a Cal League leading 14 HRs to end the second month of the season. Though Walsh may only have seven hits through his first 63 ABs more than half are doubles as he has recorded four on the year. Walsh has shown that his pitch recognition and strike zone control still exist at a Major League level, in fact he is currently walking at a far higher rate than he ever has at the Major League level. Walsh has 11 walks on year which outpaces his All-Star season by nearly double as 2021 saw him walk just 6 times through his first 60 ABs. The tools for success are still there, it just requires a little more time to bring it all together. 

At minimum a guy like Walsh should be getting a hundred something ABs before making any rash decisions, especially considering this thin infield depth. We haven’t seen nearly enough time pass to truly make judgement on Walsh in just his first month back. The unfortunately thin organizational depth at 1B has made it so that the Angels have no choice but to let Walsh get back on his feet at the Major League level. Sure you have prospects like Trey Cabbage seemingly ready to go offensively, though his glove at 1B still needs some work before it's Major League ready. At least with Walsh you know you will get plus-defense with a real potential at All-Star offensive production. Add in the fact that a 40 man spot would need to be cleared for Cabbage and suddenly the move becomes less feasible. That being said I do truly believe in Cabbages offensive potential with his .957 OPS on the year alongside 18 HRs to tie Jo Adell and one other for league leader in Triple A. Perhaps if Cabbage were more developed defensively this would be a different conversation, but as of now that is not the case. 

The Angels aren’t exactly hurting for offense either. Among all Major League teams the Angels currently rank top 6 across multiple offensive categories including HRs, RBIs, Runs, Total Bases, and OPS. While you don’t ever want to wave away the ability to get better the Angels are not in a position to make hasty decisions in order to rush some extra offense to the lineup. Half the lineup has at least 10 HRs so far (Drury, Renfroe, Trout, Ohtani) with Taylor Ward and Zach Neto slowly creeping their way up the power rankings. The majority of those hitters are healthy, aside from the recently injured Neto, which brings a sense of plausibility to maintained offensive success going forward. The Angels have enough leeway to afford the time needed to let Walsh get his swing back in order out of the 9-spot. 

I understand the thick of the playoff push has people wanting to make improvements quick enough to keep up with the chase but as it stands the best course of action is to allow Jared Walsh the space and trust to return to his All-Star form. Moving for an external replacement at 1B would be straight back to square zero in terms of organizational progression. The offensive output of someone like Paul Goldschmidt may have a distinct allure when paired with this lineup, but a trade for him would only return the Angels to their previously broken M.O of collecting overpaid veterans. Taking on a 26 million dollar multi year contract for a 35 year old 1B does nothing to improve the Angels ability to resign Shohei Ohtani come free agency. On top of that you'd have to tear up the prospect floorboards in order to swing a trade to bring in the Cardinals former MVP. Considering contract and ability I’ll take an arbitration eligible potential All-Star at the tenth of the cost of a potential MVP especially when it keeps you flexible enough for Ohtani. 

Sure you have some guys on the big league roster who could theoretically play first base but realistically they can’t cover enough time to justify taking significant reps from Walsh right now. Matt Thaiss is a fine option every now and then but with the Angels catching depth already so thin you need to prioritize affording the Thaiss/Wallach tandem adequate days off. The health of both catchers is essential to season-long success and needs to be treated as such. Drury can play 1B but with Neto injured you’re going to want him at second as much as possible to avoid Luis Rengifo ABs. Gio Urshela is unfortunately down for the count, leaving the Angels tapping the bottom of the well with Andrew Velazquez now getting Major League reps. The Angels just don’t have the infield flexibility to stomach losing another incumbent glove right now, especially one with the offensive potential that Walsh brings.

The road to playoffs is paved with patience and measured decision making. If you start cutting players because of one bad month you’d whittle your roster down to the nuts and bolts in the dugout seats before half a season has passed. Guys like Matt Thaiss would have never had a chance to become the essential contributor he is if we judged everyone on their first month. For now the team needs stability any way they can get even if the offense may not yet be there. A healthy and productive Walsh makes this lineup look absolutely filthy and it would be a massive disservice to rob both the team and the fans of the opportunity to see him swinging at his best. For now we're just going to have to stick it out for the time being, for better or worse, until this rosters health shapes back up. Until then the Angels aren't in any position to consciously remove options from the table at the Major League level.
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
View the full article

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. 
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Jared Walsh is no stranger to swinging himself out of a slow start. His debut season back in 2019 saw him log an OPS of .605 through 79 Major League AB’s before rocketing into All-Star form. This trend follows Walsh all the way back to the Minors as well. His breakout 2018 season saw Walsh hit .172 over the last few weeks of April into early May before blowing up with a Cal League leading 14 HRs to end the second month of the season. Though Walsh may only have seven hits through his first 63 ABs more than half are doubles as he has recorded four on the year. Walsh has shown that his pitch recognition and strike zone control still exist at a Major League level, in fact he is currently walking at a far higher rate than he ever has at the Major League level. Walsh has 11 walks on year which outpaces his All-Star season by nearly double as 2021 saw him walk just 6 times through his first 60 ABs. The tools for success are still there, it just requires a little more time to bring it all together. 

At minimum a guy like Walsh should be getting a hundred something ABs before making any rash decisions, especially considering this thin infield depth. We haven’t seen nearly enough time pass to truly make judgement on Walsh in just his first month back. The unfortunately thin organizational depth at 1B has made it so that the Angels have no choice but to let Walsh get back on his feet at the Major League level. Sure you have prospects like Trey Cabbage seemingly ready to go offensively, though his glove at 1B still needs some work before it's Major League ready. At least with Walsh you know you will get plus-defense with a real potential at All-Star offensive production. Add in the fact that a 40 man spot would need to be cleared for Cabbage and suddenly the move becomes less feasible. That being said I do truly believe in Cabbages offensive potential with his .957 OPS on the year alongside 18 HRs to tie Jo Adell and one other for league leader in Triple A. Perhaps if Cabbage were more developed defensively this would be a different conversation, but as of now that is not the case. 

The Angels aren’t exactly hurting for offense either. Among all Major League teams the Angels currently rank top 6 across multiple offensive categories including HRs, RBIs, Runs, Total Bases, and OPS. While you don’t ever want to wave away the ability to get better the Angels are not in a position to make hasty decisions in order to rush some extra offense to the lineup. Half the lineup has at least 10 HRs so far (Drury, Renfroe, Trout, Ohtani) with Taylor Ward and Zach Neto slowly creeping their way up the power rankings. The majority of those hitters are healthy, aside from the recently injured Neto, which brings a sense of plausibility to maintained offensive success going forward. The Angels have enough leeway to afford the time needed to let Walsh get his swing back in order out of the 9-spot. 

I understand the thick of the playoff push has people wanting to make improvements quick enough to keep up with the chase but as it stands the best course of action is to allow Jared Walsh the space and trust to return to his All-Star form. Moving for an external replacement at 1B would be straight back to square zero in terms of organizational progression. The offensive output of someone like Paul Goldschmidt may have a distinct allure when paired with this lineup, but a trade for him would only return the Angels to their previously broken M.O of collecting overpaid veterans. Taking on a 26 million dollar multi year contract for a 35 year old 1B does nothing to improve the Angels ability to resign Shohei Ohtani come free agency. On top of that you'd have to tear up the prospect floorboards in order to swing a trade to bring in the Cardinals former MVP. Considering contract and ability I’ll take an arbitration eligible potential All-Star at the tenth of the cost of a potential MVP especially when it keeps you flexible enough for Ohtani. 

Sure you have some guys on the big league roster who could theoretically play first base but realistically they can’t cover enough time to justify taking significant reps from Walsh right now. Matt Thaiss is a fine option every now and then but with the Angels catching depth already so thin you need to prioritize affording the Thaiss/Wallach tandem adequate days off. The health of both catchers is essential to season-long success and needs to be treated as such. Drury can play 1B but with Neto injured you’re going to want him at second as much as possible to avoid Luis Rengifo ABs. Gio Urshela is unfortunately down for the count, leaving the Angels tapping the bottom of the well with Andrew Velazquez now getting Major League reps. The Angels just don’t have the infield flexibility to stomach losing another incumbent glove right now, especially one with the offensive potential that Walsh brings.

The road to playoffs is paved with patience and measured decision making. If you start cutting players because of one bad month you’d whittle your roster down to the nuts and bolts in the dugout seats before half a season has passed. Guys like Matt Thaiss would have never had a chance to become the essential contributor he is if we judged everyone on their first month. For now the team needs stability any way they can get even if the offense may not yet be there. A healthy and productive Walsh makes this lineup look absolutely filthy and it would be a massive disservice to rob both the team and the fans of the opportunity to see him swinging at his best. For now we're just going to have to stick it out for the time being, for better or worse, until this rosters health shapes back up. Until then the Angels aren't in any position to consciously remove options from the table at the Major League level.
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels are falling apart physically, but Shohei Ohtani helped carry them to a victory.
Ohtani pitched six innings and broke the game open with his league-leading 22nd homer, helping the Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.
The Angels won three of four in the series, pulling within 4½ games of the AL West-leading Rangers as they leave town. Winners of nine of their last 11 games, the Angels (39-32) are one game back of the third American League wild-card spot.
It was an especially impressive victory for the Angels because it came on the day they put shortstop Zach Neto on the injured list and saw two other infielders get injured in the first inning.
Gio Urshela had to come out of the game after he stumbled across first base when he was lunging to try to beat out a double play in the inning.
The Angels were already down an infielder because Brandon Drury was serving his one-game suspension for his run-in with an umpire from Monday.
So that meant that third baseman Anthony Rendon had to remain in the game, even though he was clearly unable to swing the bat after he was hit in the left wrist by a pitch just before Urshela got hurt.
Rendon looked at all 10 pitches he saw in the fourth and eighth, striking out both times. In between, when he came to the plate with a runner on, he tried to bunt, but still struck out when his two-strike bunt went foul.
With a patchwork lineup, the Angels managed single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings. Chad Wallach and Mickey Moniak hit homers, and Moniak also drove in a run with a single. He drove in Jared Walsh, who had entered in Urshela’s place and doubled to snap an 0-for-25 slump.
Moniak’s tie-breaking homer in the seventh was enough to give the Angels a 3-2 lead, but then Ohtani provided some insurance in the eighth.
Ohtani crushed a drive 443 feet, dropping into the seats beyond the Angels’ bullpen in left-center. He had hit nearly identical homers on Monday and Wednesday, along with a homer to left field to give the Angels a lead on Monday.
Ohtani is now batting .301 with an OPS of 1.001, both numbers exceeding what he did offensively during his AL MVP season in 2021. He is on pace for 50 homers, which would also pass the 46 he hit in 2021.
Ohtani has not been as good on the mound lately, but on Thursday night he battled through some early trouble to give the Angels just what they needed.
He needed 30 pitches to get through the first inning, with Adolis Garcia fighting through a 10-pitch at-bat. Ohtani gave up two runs in the third when he allowed three straight two-out hits.
After that, Ohtani gave up just one more hit through six innings. Although he was at 62 pitches through three, he finished the sixth with 99.
Relievers Chris Devenski and José Soriano blanked the Rangers in the seventh and eighth. Closer Carlos Estevez, who had converted all 18 of his save attempts, then walked the bases loaded with no outs in the ninth. Jacob Webb bailed him out. Webb got two outs on pop-ups before walking in a run, but then he struck out Adolis Garcia to end it.
More to come on this story.
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ARLINGTON, Texas — When Zach Neto told Phil Nevin he felt like he had a cramp in his left side on Wednesday night, Nevin knew what that meant even before Neto did.
The Angels’ rookie shortstop was placed on the injured list on Thursday with a strained left oblique, which was not a surprise to Nevin after he heard Neto describe what he felt while making a warm-up throw a night earlier.
“I kind of feared the worst because that’s what it feels like if you haven’t (strained an oblique),” Nevin said. “It feels like a cramp, but a cramp that doesn’t go away.”
The Angels are not sure how much time Neto will miss. Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is currently out with a strained oblique, and he’s expected to miss at least five weeks.
“These things are weird to deal with,” Nevin said. “Sometimes they can linger, or they can go away quicker than you think. I’ve had one before. It’s not fun at all. I feel for him.”
Neto, 22, was one of the Angels’ most encouraging stories of the season. Reaching the majors less than a year after the Angels took him in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Neto had played exceptional defense and hit .259 with a .769 OPS.
“It sucks,” Neto said. “But you gotta do what you gotta do. … When I come back I’m going to be better than I was. Maybe this time off will clear my head and give my body a little rest to come out and play more games.”
The Angels recalled Andrew Velazquez to take Neto’s roster spot, and he was in the lineup as the shortstop on Thursday night.
David Fletcher, who would have been another option, is currently on the bereavement list at Triple-A. Fletcher is also not on the 40-man roster, so the Angels would have needed to make another move to recall him.
Nevin said he likes having Velazquez because, like Neto, he’s an excellent defender.
“Obviously, Neto’s bat has been a big thing for us, but for me, the defense needed to stay consistent,” Nevin said, “and we know what kind of shortstop Squid can play. It’s pretty darn close to what Neto does. Not to say it’s going to stay like that the whole time. But right now that’s what was best for us.”
Velazquez actually just returned from an oblique injury that cost him about five weeks. He was hitting .203 with a .729 OPS for Salt Lake.
Velazquez has also resumed switch-hitting, after brief experiments hitting exclusively right-handed last September and again this spring.
“It’s just who I am,” Velazquez said. “It’s what I’ve done. It’s what I feel comfortable doing. I tried it out, gave it a shot, but this is just what I do naturally.”
INGRAM UP
The Angels recalled left-hander Kolton Ingram for his major league debut, optioning right-hander Jimmy Herget back to Triple-A.
The Angels were in need of a fresh arm after Herget pitched two days in a row, allowing two homers in a tie game on Wednesday night.
Ingram had a 2.63 ERA in 27⅓ innings at Double-A this season, with 38 strikeouts and 19 walks. He had not allowed a run in his last 9⅓ innings, with 16 strikeouts.
Ingram is the fourth reliever to go from Double-A to the majors in the past two weeks, following Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman and José Soriano.
Nevin said Ingram’s “velocity has ticked up here in the last few outings, throwing a lot of strikes. Kind of the exact same things we heard about Soriano and Bachman and Joyce. Looking forward to seeing him pitch.”
Ingram, 26, was a 37th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers. The Angels signed him as a minor league free agent in March 2021. They added him to the 40-man roster last winter.
Ingram said he got the news on the team bus late on Wednesday night.
“The whole bus erupted,” he said. “It’s pretty special.”
He said he “woke up a lot of people” to give them the news, and about a dozen of his friends and family members made it to Arlington.
NOTES
Infielder Brandon Drury on Thursday dropped the appeal of his one-game suspension for contacting umpire Ramon De Jesus during an argument on Monday night. Drury served the suspension on Thursday. …
Infielder Gio Urshela returned to the Angels lineup after taking two days off to rest a stiff back.
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 3-6, 4.52 ERA) vs. Royals (RHP Brady Singer, 4-5, 6.58), Friday, 5:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels are falling apart physically, but Shohei Ohtani helped carry them to a victory.
Ohtani pitched six innings and broke the game open with his league-leading 22nd homer, helping the Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.
The Angels won three of four in the series, pulling within 4½ games of the AL West-leading Rangers as they leave town. Winners of nine of their last 11 games, the Angels (39-32) are one game back of the third American League wild-card spot.
It was an especially impressive victory for the Angels because it came on the day they put shortstop Zach Neto on the injured list and saw two other infielders get injured in the first inning.
Gio Urshela had to come out of the game after he stumbled across first base when he was lunging to try to beat out a double play in the inning.
The Angels were already down an infielder because Brandon Drury was serving his one-game suspension for his run-in with an umpire from Monday.
So that meant that third baseman Anthony Rendon had to remain in the game, even though he was clearly unable to swing the bat after he was hit in the left wrist by a pitch just before Urshela got hurt.
Rendon looked at all 10 pitches he saw in the fourth and eighth, striking out both times. In between, when he came to the plate with a runner on, he tried to bunt, but still struck out when his two-strike bunt went foul.
With a patchwork lineup, the Angels managed single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings. Chad Wallach and Mickey Moniak hit homers, and Moniak also drove in a run with a single. He drove in Jared Walsh, who had entered in Urshela’s place and doubled to snap an 0-for-25 slump.
Moniak’s tie-breaking homer in the seventh was enough to give the Angels a 3-2 lead, but then Ohtani provided some insurance in the eighth.
Ohtani crushed a drive 443 feet, dropping into the seats beyond the Angels’ bullpen in left-center. He had hit nearly identical homers on Monday and Wednesday, along with a homer to left field to give the Angels a lead on Monday.
Ohtani is now batting .301 with an OPS of 1.001, both numbers exceeding what he did offensively during his AL MVP season in 2021. He is on pace for 50 homers, which would also pass the 46 he hit in 2021.
Ohtani has not been as good on the mound lately, but on Thursday night he battled through some early trouble to give the Angels just what they needed.
He needed 30 pitches to get through the first inning, with Adolis Garcia fighting through a 10-pitch at-bat. Ohtani gave up two runs in the third when he allowed three straight two-out hits.
After that, Ohtani gave up just one more hit through six innings. Although he was at 62 pitches through three, he finished the sixth with 99.
Relievers Chris Devenski and José Soriano blanked the Rangers in the seventh and eighth. Closer Carlos Estevez, who had converted all 18 of his save attempts, then walked the bases loaded with no outs in the ninth. Jacob Webb bailed him out. Webb got two outs on pop-ups before walking in a run, but then he struck out Adolis Garcia to end it.
More to come on this story.
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels opened a key four-game series against the first-place Texas Rangers with a statement victory on Monday night.
After falling behind by four runs in the third inning, the Angels rallied for a 9-6, 12-inning victory over on the strength of a pair of Shohei Ohtani homers.
Ohtani blasted a 459-foot homer to tie the score in the seventh and then he hit a two-run homer in the 12th to give the Angels the lead. Ohtani now has 20 homers, including five in his last nine games. Chad Wallach added a second two-run homer in the 12th to provide a cushion.
The Angels (37-31) improved to six games over .500 for the first time this season, pulling within 5½ games of the Rangers and within one game of the second-place Houston Astros for the third American League wild card spot.
The victory seemed unlikely after Tyler Anderson gave up five runs in the first three innings, but Anderson tacked on three scoreless innings and then relievers Chris Devenski, Jacob Webb, Carlos Estévez and Sam Bachman blanked the Rangers until the Angels could explode in the 12th. Aaron Loup gave up an unearned run in the 12th.
Bachman worked two innings, getting out of a jam in a tumultuous 10th with outfielder Taylor Ward playing first base.
Ward, who had played just two innings at first in his big league career, was playing there because the Angels were out of infielders after Brandon Drury was ejected for arguing a borderline called strike in the top of the 10th.
Ward stumbled trying to make a play earlier in the inning, and then he made a nice scoop on a throw from shortstop Zach Neto to end it.
That play helped the Angels get out of a jam with runners at second and third and one out. They escaped a similar mess in the ninth, when closer Carlos Estévez struck out Josh Jung and got Jonah Heim on a flyout.
The fact that Estévez was pitching in the ninth inning of a tie game on the road – instead of being held back for a possible save situation – was a testament to the urgency with which Phil Nevin managed the game.
Many viewed this four-game series against the division-leading Rangers as a barometer to see if the Angels could really play well enough to contend.
They didn’t look that way at the beginning.
Anderson gave up a three-run homer to Ezequiel Duran in the second on a fastball that was a couple of inches off the inside corner. The two-out homer followed an infield hit. In the third, Anderson gave up three straight two-out hits, all of them on pitches over the middle of the plate.
Although he was down 5-1 at the time, he stopped the bleeding and gave some reason for hope in what has mostly been a disappointing season. Anderson has a 5.80 ERA after 12 starts in the first year of his three-year, $39 million deal with the Angels.
The Angels got back in the game with three runs in the fifth – aided by an error and a wild pitch – and then Ohtani emphatically tied the score in the seventh.
He pounded a homer into the second deck in left-center field, tossing his bat triumphantly as he left the box.
More to come on this story.
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ANAHEIM ― Angels rookie Zach Neto donned a pair of custom cleats and custom batting gloves, fashioned in the style of the team’s popular “City Connect” uniforms, for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Neto might not be allowed to take them off again.
Neto hit two home runs in a game for the first time in his rookie season to lead the Angels to a 9-4 win over the Mariners before an announced crowd of 39,405 at Angel Stadium.
Taylor Ward also homered in support of starting pitcher Griffin Canning as the Angels (36-31) took two of three games from Seattle (31-33), the fourth-place team in the American League West.
Next up: a trip to Texas to face the division-leading Rangers in a critical four-game series.
Canning (5-2) allowed three earned runs in five innings, continuing his comeback season after losing the last two years to injuries. The right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out seven.
Chris Devenski, Jose Soriano, and Jimmy Herget did not allow a run over the game’s final four innings.
Ward led off the game with a home run against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (4-4), a portent of things to come. The Angels would score another run in the inning on a Brandon Drury double, followed by an RBI single by Matt Thaiss.
Neto’s fourth home run of the season gave the Angels a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Back-to-back singles by Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, followed by consecutive doubles by Thaiss and Hunter Renfroe, plated three more runs in the third inning.
In the fourth inning, Neto scorched a ground ball off the glove of Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford before Ward was hit by a pitch. That was the end of the road for Gilbert, who was ultimately charged with seven runs ― six earned ― in three innings.
Matt Brash took over and allowed a single by Ohtani. That loaded the bases for Trout, who slammed a ball 362 feet to the warning track in right field. A fly ball that would have been a home run at Yankee Stadium (according to Statcast) became a sacrifice fly for Trout, and gave the Angels a 7-2 lead.
Neto’s second home run, a solo shot off Chris Flexen in the eighth inning, padded the Angels’ lead to 8-4.
More to come on this story.
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Part of the solution to the Angels’ maddening struggle to produce with runners in scoring position might be just days away.
Third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has been out with a groin injury for three weeks, is expected to be activated Tuesday or Wednesday.
To hear Manager Phil Nevin describe it, Rendon’s team-leading .357 average with runners in scoring position has an impact on the team even when he’s not hitting. Nevin believes that Rendon works those at-bats in a way that lifts everyone around him.
“When you see that at-bat and you watch it every day, I think that bleeds into the team, and we have not had that at-bat from Anthony in a few weeks,” Nevin said. “Now you put more pressure on yourself to do that and fill in for him. If you just watch his at-bats, he takes a winning at-bat every time. We’ve missed that at-bat.”
The numbers support Nevin’s assertion that Rendon impacts his teammates, with the caveat the correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation.
This season Rendon’s teammates have hit .295 with runners in scoring position in the 30 games that Rendon has started, a number that goes up to .302 when you add Rendon’s production. In the 31 games Rendon has missed, the Angels have hit .187 with runners in scoring position.
The same thing happened over a much larger sample in 2021 and 2022. Over those two seasons, the non-Rendon Angels hit .278 with runners in scoring position in the 105 games when he was in the lineup and .235 in the 219 games when he wasn’t. (In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Angels only played eight games without Rendon.)
Simply getting Rendon back in the lineup might not solve the Angels’ problems hitting in the clutch, but they need to do something if they are going to have any chance of contending.
Of all the issues that have contributed to the Angels’ mediocre 31-30 record, their performance with runners in scoring position has been one of the most significant problems.
Their overall average of .259 ranks ninth in the majors, but they have hit .246 with runners in scoring position, which ranks 20th.
It’s supposed to be the other way around. The major league average is .254 with runners in scoring position and .247 overall.
Over the past several years the major league average has been 8-10 points higher with runners in scoring position, most likely because of differences in how infielders are positioned.
Whether there’s a tangible skill that helps hitters perform in those situations is one of the sport’s great debates.
Many statisticians believe that a hitter’s skill level is what it is, and it doesn’t change whether there’s a runner on second or not. If a hitter excels or struggles in those situations, it’s just a small sample size blip no different than if a hitter is better on Wednesdays.
Count Angels outfielder Taylor Ward among those who believe a hitter shouldn’t do anything different with a runner in scoring position.
“I think the worst thing you can do is have a different approach or thought process,” Ward said. “When you realize there’s runners in scoring position, I think that puts added pressure on you and that thought isn’t good.”
Infielder Brandon Drury said there are some specific times, like with a runner at third and less than two outs, that require a different approach, but for the most part, those at-bats with runners in scoring position should be no different.
“I think everybody goes through times when you’re driving the runner in, whether it’s hitting the ball well or getting lucky, and then you have times when you just can’t get anything to fall with runners in scoring position,” Drury said. “It’s a long season. It’ll all even out.”
Nevin, who played 12 years in the majors, doesn’t buy it.
“There’s a lot of people in our game that don’t think the RBI is a skill and it absolutely is,” Nevin said. “It’s a mentality. It’s a way you go about your at-bats. It’s wanting those situations. We’ve got to want to hit in those situations. We’ve got to want to come up there with a runner at second. We’ve got to want to come up there with a runner at third.”
Nevin said he doesn’t believe there’s a team-wide problem with the Angels’ approach in those situations. He said hitting coaches Marcus Thames and Phil Plantier both presided over New York Yankees teams that had no trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.
One clear issue has been strikeouts. The Angels have struck out in 26.4% of their plate appearances with a runner in scoring position, the highest rate in the majors. Overall, they are striking out in 22.7% of their plate appearances, which is exactly the major league average.
Mike Trout has struck out in 31.7% of his 60 plate appearances with a runner in scoring position, contributing to his .200 average in those situations.
Speaking in general about what causes difficulty in those spots, Trout said it’s usually when a player is pressing to come through.
“This game can drive you crazy a little bit when you’re trying to do too much up there and your mind starts racing,” Trout said. “Your body does things that you don’t want it to do. Your (swings) get to be long, instead of just staying short and trusting yourself. I think it’s a mindset.”
Up until the last two seasons, when Trout has hit .228 with runners in scoring positions, he flourished in those spots. Trout hit better with runners in scoring position than overall in seven of his eight seasons with at least 100 plate appearances in that situation.
Shohei Ohtani has hit better with runners in scoring position in every season except 2020. This year he’s hitting .328 with runners in scoring position.
At the other end of the spectrum, Hunter Renfroe is hitting .152 this year with runners in scoring position. He’s performed worse with runners in scoring position in every year of his career except 2020, which is one of the reasons that Nevin recently moved him down to the No. 6 spot.
He could drop even lower when Rendon comes back. Nevin said Rendon will go into the cleanup spot. Despite Rendon’s lack of power this season, the Angels want him in the lineup’s key run-producing spot because of the way he approaches those at-bats.
The Angels clearly need him to do what he does, and for his teammates to follow his example.
“We know where we’re at,” Nevin said. “It’s talked about every day, in the media obviously. It becomes magnified when it goes game after game and we have not had much success with it. Winning teams don’t have those struggles in those situations.”
UP NEXT
Cubs (TBD) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-1, 5.47), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
Related Articles
Los Angeles Angels | Angels to give Shohei Ohtani extra day of rest before next start Los Angeles Angels | Angels avoid Astros sweep as Shohei Ohtani drives in tie-breaking run Los Angeles Angels | Mickey Moniak loses playing time, but Angels want him in majors Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ sloppy defense leads to third straight loss to Astros Los Angeles Angels | Angels send Chase Silseth down to again develop him as a starter View the full article

By @WicketMaiden, AngelsWin.com Contributor
Cricket is not new to the United States. Indeed, it is a little known fact that the first ever international cricket fixture in the world was played in New York between the USA and Canada in 1844. There was so much interest created at the time that it is believed over $100,000 was wagered on the outcome of the game. An incredible amount of money by 1844 standards, but sadly for those backing the home side, Canada won by 23 runs in a low scoring affair.
While the game had a good hold in the US in the 19th century, it was around the time of the US civil war that baseball became more prevalent as, unlike cricket, it could be played almost anywhere and didn’t require specially prepared pitches (something quite hard to provide for a marching army). This began a long and slow decline of cricket in the US which was checked for a while by The Philadelphians at the turn of the 20th Century. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia had a fine cricket team in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, beating the Australian and Ireland national teams and also touring England three times with some genuine success.
In their final tour, in 1908, one of their bowlers (Bart King - USA’s greatest ever cricketer) topped the English first class charts for bowling averages with a record shattering average that wasn’t bettered for fifty years. Such was the interest in keeping Bart in England to play County Cricket (and hopefully Test cricket for England later on), he was offered a marriage to a rich English heiress that came with an annual income of £7000 per year, an astronomical sum to an insurance clerk like King, but alas for English cricket he returned to the US and never toured here again.
Bart King was so good that had he been Australian or English he would still be lauded today as one of the best bowlers that ever played the game, and he is widely regarded as being the world’s first genuine swing bowler - a skill that plays an enormous role in cricket today. A truly wonderful legacy, and proof positive of the confluence between cricket and baseball because Bart played both and used his knowledge of pitching curveballs to inform his swing bowling in cricket. Bart changed cricket forever.
All very nice and all very old, but what is the attraction of cricket today to an American baseball fan? Well, whatever you like about baseball, cricket has it too.
You like dingers? In cricket it's called a six and scores six runs. In an IPL T20 match you'll typically see around 14 or 15 of those, per game. Want to see your favourite player hit more dingers? No problem, if a batsman hits a 6 in cricket he stays out there to face the next ball. The world record is six sixes from a six ball over (an ‘over’ is a set of 6 balls). Imagine that - Trout hits a pitcher for a HR, then stays there for another, then another, then another… you get the picture.
Like the running game and great defence? In cricket we catch the ball with our hands, (only the catcher (wicket-keeper) wears gloves), and we get batters out by throwing the ball directly at the stumps (strike-zone), often hitting the equivalent of strikes and getting people out from 100 feet away. In a game which slightly favours the batsman scoring runs, the catches and outs (wickets) in cricket tend to be more spectacular because of their rarity: there are only a maximum of 10 outs per team per game, so they are big events within the context of a match.
You into pitching and like a fastball up and in to keep the batters on their toes? In cricket you're allowed to hit the batsman as many times as you like, and you can even aim at his head once or twice every six balls too. It's a big part of the game and is why the batsmen wear so much padding, (it still bloody hurts when the ball hits you though).
Do you like players that are two-way talents? - Cricket is chock-full of them, with two or three on every team who are genuinely good with both bat and ball. Even those players who are in the team just for their bowling skills still have to go out there and try to bat for a while - which can be really good fun when they get it right and hit a few sixes at the end of an innings.
Enjoy the battle between pitching plans and batting adjustments? This is at the very heart of cricket, and with the variations of pace, line, length and delivery type available to the bowlers, and the different stances, positions and shots in the batsmen’s armoury, bowling plans and batsmen’s adjustments are aplenty. Match-ups are key, as in baseball, but in cricket it’s not one spell of bowling and then you’re done for the game, in cricket the captain can chop and change the bowlers every over if he so chooses, and can bring people back whenever he wants to until they’ve bowled their allotted overs for the match.
Get annoyed by over-managing from the dug-out? No problem, once the cricketers enter the field of play it’s all on them. The captain chooses the bowlers and sets the field, but the bowlers themselves choose what type of delivery they will bowl, ball by ball (with some input from senior players and the captain). The coaching staff are in the pavilion watching and have to wait for a session or innings to end before they can influence the team’s thinking and strategy.
Or maybe, it’s the stats that really make a sport come alive for you and if that’s the case, yes, cricket has that covered too. Batting averages, bowling averages, spin, turn, speed, distance, trajectory of the ball into the crowd, and the old favourite the scorecard, which records the outcome of every ball in detail. Cricket loves stats.
Add to that, excellent umpiring, a brilliant and efficient review system, knowledgeable and passionate fans, and matches that often build to a crescendo with all results still possible right up until the very final ball of the match - in this year’s IPL final, CSK won by hitting a 6 and a 4 off the final two balls of the match, (that’s like hitting a ground-rule double and a HR in the bottom of the 9th with two-outs and two strikes in an 0-2 count off consecutive pitches). It was a brilliant end to a fantastic match in a wonderful competition.
In short, baseball and cricket are a sporting brotherhood. Two of the finest games the world has to offer and I encourage anyone who loves either one of them to watch the other, because the chances are you’ll soon come to love that one too. There is no better time to get into cricket as an American than now: Major League Cricket begins this year in Texas in July, it’s your first T20 competition and I can’t wait to see how well it does over there. I'm sure it will be a great success.
https://www.majorleaguecricket.com/about/
View the full article

Part of the solution to the Angels’ maddening struggle to produce with runners in scoring position might be just days away.
Third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has been out with a groin injury for three weeks, is expected to be activated Tuesday or Wednesday.
To hear Manager Phil Nevin describe it, Rendon’s team-leading .357 average with runners in scoring position has an impact on the team even when he’s not hitting. Nevin believes that Rendon works those at-bats in a way that lifts everyone around him.
“When you see that at-bat and you watch it every day, I think that bleeds into the team, and we have not had that at-bat from Anthony in a few weeks,” Nevin said. “Now you put more pressure on yourself to do that and fill in for him. If you just watch his at-bats, he takes a winning at-bat every time. We’ve missed that at-bat.”
The numbers support Nevin’s assertion that Rendon impacts his teammates, with the caveat the correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation.
This season Rendon’s teammates have hit .295 with runners in scoring position in the 30 games that Rendon has started, a number that goes up to .302 when you add Rendon’s production. In the 31 games Rendon has missed, the Angels have hit .187 with runners in scoring position.
The same thing happened over a much larger sample in 2021 and 2022. Over those two seasons, the non-Rendon Angels hit .278 with runners in scoring position in the 105 games when he was in the lineup and .235 in the 219 games when he wasn’t. (In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Angels only played eight games without Rendon.)
Simply getting Rendon back in the lineup might not solve the Angels’ problems hitting in the clutch, but they need to do something if they are going to have any chance of contending.
Of all the issues that have contributed to the Angels’ mediocre 31-30 record, their performance with runners in scoring position has been one of the most significant problems.
Their overall average of .259 ranks ninth in the majors, but they have hit .246 with runners in scoring position, which ranks 20th.
It’s supposed to be the other way around. The major league average is .254 with runners in scoring position and .247 overall.
Over the past several years the major league average has been 8-10 points higher with runners in scoring position, most likely because of differences in how infielders are positioned.
Whether there’s a tangible skill that helps hitters perform in those situations is one of the sport’s great debates.
Many statisticians believe that a hitter’s skill level is what it is, and it doesn’t change whether there’s a runner on second or not. If a hitter excels or struggles in those situations, it’s just a small sample size blip no different than if a hitter is better on Wednesdays.
Count Angels outfielder Taylor Ward among those who believe a hitter shouldn’t do anything different with a runner in scoring position.
“I think the worst thing you can do is have a different approach or thought process,” Ward said. “When you realize there’s runners in scoring position, I think that puts added pressure on you and that thought isn’t good.”
Infielder Brandon Drury said there are some specific times, like with a runner at third and less than two outs, that require a different approach, but for the most part, those at-bats with runners in scoring position should be no different.
“I think everybody goes through times when you’re driving the runner in, whether it’s hitting the ball well or getting lucky, and then you have times when you just can’t get anything to fall with runners in scoring position,” Drury said. “It’s a long season. It’ll all even out.”
Nevin, who played 12 years in the majors, doesn’t buy it.
“There’s a lot of people in our game that don’t think the RBI is a skill and it absolutely is,” Nevin said. “It’s a mentality. It’s a way you go about your at-bats. It’s wanting those situations. We’ve got to want to hit in those situations. We’ve got to want to come up there with a runner at second. We’ve got to want to come up there with a runner at third.”
Nevin said he doesn’t believe there’s a team-wide problem with the Angels’ approach in those situations. He said hitting coaches Marcus Thames and Phil Plantier both presided over New York Yankees teams that had no trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.
One clear issue has been strikeouts. The Angels have struck out in 26.4% of their plate appearances with a runner in scoring position, the highest rate in the majors. Overall, they are striking out in 22.7% of their plate appearances, which is exactly the major league average.
Mike Trout has struck out in 31.7% of his 60 plate appearances with a runner in scoring position, contributing to his .200 average in those situations.
Speaking in general about what causes difficulty in those spots, Trout said it’s usually when a player is pressing to come through.
“This game can drive you crazy a little bit when you’re trying to do too much up there and your mind starts racing,” Trout said. “Your body does things that you don’t want it to do. Your (swings) get to be long, instead of just staying short and trusting yourself. I think it’s a mindset.”
Up until the last two seasons, when Trout has hit .228 with runners in scoring positions, he flourished in those spots. Trout hit better with runners in scoring position than overall in seven of his eight seasons with at least 100 plate appearances in that situation.
Shohei Ohtani has hit better with runners in scoring position in every season except 2020. This year he’s hitting .328 with runners in scoring position.
At the other end of the spectrum, Hunter Renfroe is hitting .152 this year with runners in scoring position. He’s performed worse with runners in scoring position in every year of his career except 2020, which is one of the reasons that Nevin recently moved him down to the No. 6 spot.
He could drop even lower when Rendon comes back. Nevin said Rendon will go into the cleanup spot. Despite Rendon’s lack of power this season, the Angels want him in the lineup’s key run-producing spot because of the way he approaches those at-bats.
The Angels clearly need him to do what he does, and for his teammates to follow his example.
“We know where we’re at,” Nevin said. “It’s talked about every day, in the media obviously. It becomes magnified when it goes game after game and we have not had much success with it. Winning teams don’t have those struggles in those situations.”
UP NEXT
Cubs (TBD) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-1, 5.47), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
Related Articles
Los Angeles Angels | Angels to give Shohei Ohtani extra day of rest before next start Los Angeles Angels | Angels avoid Astros sweep as Shohei Ohtani drives in tie-breaking run Los Angeles Angels | Mickey Moniak loses playing time, but Angels want him in majors Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ sloppy defense leads to third straight loss to Astros Los Angeles Angels | Angels send Chase Silseth down to again develop him as a starter View the full article

By @WicketMaiden, AngelsWin.com Contributor
Cricket is not new to the United States. Indeed, it is a little known fact that the first ever international cricket fixture in the world was played in New York between the USA and Canada in 1844. There was so much interest created at the time that it is believed over $100,000 was wagered on the outcome of the game. An incredible amount of money by 1844 standards, but sadly for those backing the home side, Canada won by 23 runs in a low scoring affair.
While the game had a good hold in the US in the 19th century, it was around the time of the US civil war that baseball became more prevalent as, unlike cricket, it could be played almost anywhere and didn’t require specially prepared pitches (something quite hard to provide for a marching army). This began a long and slow decline of cricket in the US which was checked for a while by The Philadelphians at the turn of the 20th Century. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia had a fine cricket team in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, beating the Australian and Ireland national teams and also touring England three times with some genuine success.
In their final tour, in 1908, one of their bowlers (Bart King - USA’s greatest ever cricketer) topped the English first class charts for bowling averages with a record shattering average that wasn’t bettered for fifty years. Such was the interest in keeping Bart in England to play County Cricket (and hopefully Test cricket for England later on), he was offered a marriage to a rich English heiress that came with an annual income of £7000 per year, an astronomical sum to an insurance clerk like King, but alas for English cricket he returned to the US and never toured here again.
Bart King was so good that had he been Australian or English he would still be lauded today as one of the best bowlers that ever played the game, and he is widely regarded as being the world’s first genuine swing bowler - a skill that plays an enormous role in cricket today. A truly wonderful legacy, and proof positive of the confluence between cricket and baseball because Bart played both and used his knowledge of pitching curveballs to inform his swing bowling in cricket. Bart changed cricket forever.
All very nice and all very old, but what is the attraction of cricket today to an American baseball fan? Well, whatever you like about baseball, cricket has it too.
You like dingers? In cricket it's called a six and scores six runs. In an IPL T20 match you'll typically see around 14 or 15 of those, per game. Want to see your favourite player hit more dingers? No problem, if a batsman hits a 6 in cricket he stays out there to face the next ball. The world record is six sixes from a six ball over (an ‘over’ is a set of 6 balls). Imagine that - Trout hits a pitcher for a HR, then stays there for another, then another, then another… you get the picture.
Like the running game and great defence? In cricket we catch the ball with our hands, (only the catcher (wicket-keeper) wears gloves), and we get batters out by throwing the ball directly at the stumps (strike-zone), often hitting the equivalent of strikes and getting people out from 100 feet away. In a game which slightly favours the batsman scoring runs, the catches and outs (wickets) in cricket tend to be more spectacular because of their rarity: there are only a maximum of 10 outs per team per game, so they are big events within the context of a match.
You into pitching and like a fastball up and in to keep the batters on their toes? In cricket you're allowed to hit the batsman as many times as you like, and you can even aim at his head once or twice every six balls too. It's a big part of the game and is why the batsmen wear so much padding, (it still bloody hurts when the ball hits you though).
Do you like players that are two-way talents? - Cricket is chock-full of them, with two or three on every team who are genuinely good with both bat and ball. Even those players who are in the team just for their bowling skills still have to go out there and try to bat for a while - which can be really good fun when they get it right and hit a few sixes at the end of an innings.
Enjoy the battle between pitching plans and batting adjustments? This is at the very heart of cricket, and with the variations of pace, line, length and delivery type available to the bowlers, and the different stances, positions and shots in the batsmen’s armoury, bowling plans and batsmen’s adjustments are aplenty. Match-ups are key, as in baseball, but in cricket it’s not one spell of bowling and then you’re done for the game, in cricket the captain can chop and change the bowlers every over if he so chooses, and can bring people back whenever he wants to until they’ve bowled their allotted overs for the match.
Get annoyed by over-managing from the dug-out? No problem, once the cricketers enter the field of play it’s all on them. The captain chooses the bowlers and sets the field, but the bowlers themselves choose what type of delivery they will bowl, ball by ball (with some input from senior players and the captain). The coaching staff are in the pavilion watching and have to wait for a session or innings to end before they can influence the team’s thinking and strategy.
Or maybe, it’s the stats that really make a sport come alive for you and if that’s the case, yes, cricket has that covered too. Batting averages, bowling averages, spin, turn, speed, distance, trajectory of the ball into the crowd, and the old favourite the scorecard, which records the outcome of every ball in detail. Cricket loves stats.
Add to that, excellent umpiring, a brilliant and efficient review system, knowledgeable and passionate fans, and matches that often build to a crescendo with all results still possible right up until the very final ball of the match - in this year’s IPL final, CSK won by hitting a 6 and a 4 off the final two balls of the match, (that’s like hitting a ground-rule double and a HR in the bottom of the 9th with two-outs and two strikes in an 0-2 count off consecutive pitches). It was a brilliant end to a fantastic match in a wonderful competition.
In short, baseball and cricket are a sporting brotherhood. Two of the finest games the world has to offer and I encourage anyone who loves either one of them to watch the other, because the chances are you’ll soon come to love that one too. There is no better time to get into cricket as an American than now: Major League Cricket begins this year in Texas in July, it’s your first T20 competition and I can’t wait to see how well it does over there. I'm sure it will be a great success.
https://www.majorleaguecricket.com/about/
View the full article

By @WicketMaiden, AngelsWin.com Contributor
Cricket is not new to the United States. Indeed, it is a little known fact that the first ever international cricket fixture in the world was played in New York between the USA and Canada in 1844. There was so much interest created at the time that it is believed over $100,000 was wagered on the outcome of the game. An incredible amount of money by 1844 standards, but sadly for those backing the home side, Canada won by 23 runs in a low scoring affair.
While the game had a good hold in the US in the 19th century, it was around the time of the US civil war that baseball became more prevalent as, unlike cricket, it could be played almost anywhere and didn’t require specially prepared pitches (something quite hard to provide for a marching army). This began a long and slow decline of cricket in the US which was checked for a while by The Philadelphians at the turn of the 20th Century. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia had a fine cricket team in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, beating the Australian and Ireland national teams and also touring England three times with some genuine success.
In their final tour, in 1908, one of their bowlers (Bart King - USA’s greatest ever cricketer) topped the English first class charts for bowling averages with a record shattering average that wasn’t bettered for fifty years. Such was the interest in keeping Bart in England to play County Cricket (and hopefully Test cricket for England later on), he was offered a marriage to a rich English heiress that came with an annual income of £7000 per year, an astronomical sum to an insurance clerk like King, but alas for English cricket he returned to the US and never toured here again.
Bart King was so good that had he been Australian or English he would still be lauded today as one of the best bowlers that ever played the game, and he is widely regarded as being the world’s first genuine swing bowler - a skill that plays an enormous role in cricket today. A truly wonderful legacy, and proof positive of the confluence between cricket and baseball because Bart played both and used his knowledge of pitching curveballs to inform his swing bowling in cricket. Bart changed cricket forever.
All very nice and all very old, but what is the attraction of cricket today to an American baseball fan? Well, whatever you like about baseball, cricket has it too.
You like dingers? In cricket it's called a six and scores six runs. In an IPL T20 match you'll typically see around 14 or 15 of those, per game. Want to see your favourite player hit more dingers? No problem, if a batsman hits a 6 in cricket he stays out there to face the next ball. The world record is six sixes from a six ball over (an ‘over’ is a set of 6 balls). Imagine that - Trout hits a pitcher for a HR, then stays there for another, then another, then another… you get the picture.
Like the running game and great defence? In cricket we catch the ball with our hands, (only the catcher (wicket-keeper) wears gloves), and we get batters out by throwing the ball directly at the stumps (strike-zone), often hitting the equivalent of strikes and getting people out from 100 feet away. In a game which slightly favours the batsman scoring runs, the catches and outs (wickets) in cricket tend to be more spectacular because of their rarity: there are only a maximum of 10 outs per team per game, so they are big events within the context of a match.
You into pitching and like a fastball up and in to keep the batters on their toes? In cricket you're allowed to hit the batsman as many times as you like, and you can even aim at his head once or twice every six balls too. It's a big part of the game and is why the batsmen wear so much padding, (it still bloody hurts when the ball hits you though).
Do you like players that are two-way talents? - Cricket is chock-full of them, with two or three on every team who are genuinely good with both bat and ball. Even those players who are in the team just for their bowling skills still have to go out there and try to bat for a while - which can be really good fun when they get it right and hit a few sixes at the end of an innings.
Enjoy the battle between pitching plans and batting adjustments? This is at the very heart of cricket, and with the variations of pace, line, length and delivery type available to the bowlers, and the different stances, positions and shots in the batsmen’s armoury, bowling plans and batsmen’s adjustments are aplenty. Match-ups are key, as in baseball, but in cricket it’s not one spell of bowling and then you’re done for the game, in cricket the captain can chop and change the bowlers every over if he so chooses, and can bring people back whenever he wants to until they’ve bowled their allotted overs for the match.
Get annoyed by over-managing from the dug-out? No problem, once the cricketers enter the field of play it’s all on them. The captain chooses the bowlers and sets the field, but the bowlers themselves choose what type of delivery they will bowl, ball by ball (with some input from senior players and the captain). The coaching staff are in the pavilion watching and have to wait for a session or innings to end before they can influence the team’s thinking and strategy.
Or maybe, it’s the stats that really make a sport come alive for you and if that’s the case, yes, cricket has that covered too. Batting averages, bowling averages, spin, turn, speed, distance, trajectory of the ball into the crowd, and the old favourite the scorecard, which records the outcome of every ball in detail. Cricket loves stats.
Add to that, excellent umpiring, a brilliant and efficient review system, knowledgeable and passionate fans, and matches that often build to a crescendo with all results still possible right up until the very final ball of the match - in this year’s IPL final, CSK won by hitting a 6 and a 4 off the final two balls of the match, (that’s like hitting a ground-rule double and a HR in the bottom of the 9th with two-outs and two strikes in an 0-2 count off consecutive pitches). It was a brilliant end to a fantastic match in a wonderful competition.
In short, baseball and cricket are a sporting brotherhood. Two of the finest games the world has to offer and I encourage anyone who loves either one of them to watch the other, because the chances are you’ll soon come to love that one too. There is no better time to get into cricket as an American than now: Major League Cricket begins this year in Texas in July, it’s your first T20 competition and I can’t wait to see how well it does over there. I'm sure it will be a great success.
https://www.majorleaguecricket.com/about/
View the full article

By @WicketMaiden, AngelsWin.com Contributor
Cricket is not new to the United States. Indeed, it is a little known fact that the first ever international cricket fixture in the world was played in New York between the USA and Canada in 1844. There was so much interest created at the time that it is believed over $100,000 was wagered on the outcome of the game. An incredible amount of money by 1844 standards, but sadly for those backing the home side, Canada won by 23 runs in a low scoring affair.
While the game had a good hold in the US in the 19th century, it was around the time of the US civil war that baseball became more prevalent as, unlike cricket, it could be played almost anywhere and didn’t require specially prepared pitches (something quite hard to provide for a marching army). This began a long and slow decline of cricket in the US which was checked for a while by The Philadelphians at the turn of the 20th Century. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia had a fine cricket team in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, beating the Australian and Ireland national teams and also touring England three times with some genuine success.
In their final tour, in 1908, one of their bowlers (Bart King - USA’s greatest ever cricketer) topped the English first class charts for bowling averages with a record shattering average that wasn’t bettered for fifty years. Such was the interest in keeping Bart in England to play County Cricket (and hopefully Test cricket for England later on), he was offered a marriage to a rich English heiress that came with an annual income of £7000 per year, an astronomical sum to an insurance clerk like King, but alas for English cricket he returned to the US and never toured here again.
Bart King was so good that had he been Australian or English he would still be lauded today as one of the best bowlers that ever played the game, and he is widely regarded as being the world’s first genuine swing bowler - a skill that plays an enormous role in cricket today. A truly wonderful legacy, and proof positive of the confluence between cricket and baseball because Bart played both and used his knowledge of pitching curveballs to inform his swing bowling in cricket. Bart changed cricket forever.
All very nice and all very old, but what is the attraction of cricket today to an American baseball fan? Well, whatever you like about baseball, cricket has it too.
You like dingers? In cricket it's called a six and scores six runs. In an IPL T20 match you'll typically see around 14 or 15 of those, per game. Want to see your favourite player hit more dingers? No problem, if a batsman hits a 6 in cricket he stays out there to face the next ball. The world record is six sixes from a six ball over (an ‘over’ is a set of 6 balls). Imagine that - Trout hits a pitcher for a HR, then stays there for another, then another, then another… you get the picture.
Like the running game and great defence? In cricket we catch the ball with our hands, (only the catcher (wicket-keeper) wears gloves), and we get batters out by throwing the ball directly at the stumps (strike-zone), often hitting the equivalent of strikes and getting people out from 100 feet away. In a game which slightly favours the batsman scoring runs, the catches and outs (wickets) in cricket tend to be more spectacular because of their rarity: there are only a maximum of 10 outs per team per game, so they are big events within the context of a match.
You into pitching and like a fastball up and in to keep the batters on their toes? In cricket you're allowed to hit the batsman as many times as you like, and you can even aim at his head once or twice every six balls too. It's a big part of the game and is why the batsmen wear so much padding, (it still bloody hurts when the ball hits you though).
Do you like players that are two-way talents? - Cricket is chock-full of them, with two or three on every team who are genuinely good with both bat and ball. Even those players who are in the team just for their bowling skills still have to go out there and try to bat for a while - which can be really good fun when they get it right and hit a few sixes at the end of an innings.
Enjoy the battle between pitching plans and batting adjustments? This is at the very heart of cricket, and with the variations of pace, line, length and delivery type available to the bowlers, and the different stances, positions and shots in the batsmen’s armoury, bowling plans and batsmen’s adjustments are aplenty. Match-ups are key, as in baseball, but in cricket it’s not one spell of bowling and then you’re done for the game, in cricket the captain can chop and change the bowlers every over if he so chooses, and can bring people back whenever he wants to until they’ve bowled their allotted overs for the match.
Get annoyed by over-managing from the dug-out? No problem, once the cricketers enter the field of play it’s all on them. The captain chooses the bowlers and sets the field, but the bowlers themselves choose what type of delivery they will bowl, ball by ball (with some input from senior players and the captain). The coaching staff are in the pavilion watching and have to wait for a session or innings to end before they can influence the team’s thinking and strategy.
Or maybe, it’s the stats that really make a sport come alive for you and if that’s the case, yes, cricket has that covered too. Batting averages, bowling averages, spin, turn, speed, distance, trajectory of the ball into the crowd, and the old favourite the scorecard, which records the outcome of every ball in detail. Cricket loves stats.
Add to that, excellent umpiring, a brilliant and efficient review system, knowledgeable and passionate fans, and matches that often build to a crescendo with all results still possible right up until the very final ball of the match - in this year’s IPL final, CSK won by hitting a 6 and a 4 off the final two balls of the match, (that’s like hitting a ground-rule double and a HR in the bottom of the 9th with two-outs and two strikes in an 0-2 count off consecutive pitches). It was a brilliant end to a fantastic match in a wonderful competition.
In short, baseball and cricket are a sporting brotherhood. Two of the finest games the world has to offer and I encourage anyone who loves either one of them to watch the other, because the chances are you’ll soon come to love that one too. There is no better time to get into cricket as an American than now: Major League Cricket begins this year in Texas in July, it’s your first T20 competition and I can’t wait to see how well it does over there. I'm sure it will be a great success.
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CHICAGO — Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout sprung to life just in time.
Ohtani hit a pair of two-run homers and Trout hit one to power the Angels to a 12-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, locking up a series victory before a trip to Houston.
Although the Houston Astros are currently trailing the surprising Texas Rangers in the American League West, the defending World Series champion Astros remain a measuring stick for the Angels to show whether they are capable of contending for the postseason.
The Angels’ chances in this four-game series are much better if Ohtani and Trout are hitting the way they can, as opposed to the way they have lately.
Ohtani hit .140 over a 13-game stretch prior to Tuesday night, when he hit his 13th homer of the season.
On Wednesday, Ohtani blasted a 425-foot homer in the third inning and then a 459-foot shot in the fourth. The second homer was initially measured by StatCast at 476 feet, which would have been the longest of his career, before it was recalculated.

It was Ohtani’s first multi-homer game of the season, but the fifth time this year that he and Trout had homered in the same game.
Trout drilled a 461-foot homer in the first inning, his 13th homer of the season.
Trout had been cold at the plate for most of the month of May, although he’d shown some encouraging signs with three multi-hit games in the past week. Last week he homered in back-to-back games.
Taylor Ward, who has been in a slump for most of the season, also contributed a homer and a single. It was his second straight multi-hit game, with a homer in both.
The offensive barrage allowed the Angels to preserve their top relievers for the Astros series.
Starter Jaime Barría got through five innings on 90 pitches, the most the converted reliever had thrown since 2021. Barria threw just 64 in his first start of the season, on May 22, and he’d thrown 15 in a relief outing on Saturday.
Right-hander Jacob Webb worked a scoreless sixth and then left-hander Tucker Davidson handled the final three.
More to come on this story.
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CHICAGO — Logan O’Hoppe is continuing to develop into an everyday big league catcher, even though he hasn’t played a game in more than a month.
O’Hoppe is here with the Angels on the road, as he has been throughout his rehab from left shoulder surgery. He participates in pregame meetings and then charts pitches throughout each game, looking for patterns with the opposing hitters and the Angels pitchers.
“I’ve learned a lot,” O’Hoppe said on Monday. “We’d be here all night if we talked about everything I’ve learned… I knew it was going to help. I didn’t think it would help this much.”
O’Hoppe had surgery five weeks ago, and he’s at least three months from returning. He still hasn’t done any baseball activity. He is optimistic that next week he will start some running though.
Typically, a player that far from returning would not be on the road, and he might even be working out at the spring training complex. Because O’Hoppe is a catcher, though, the Angels felt he could still gain something from simply being with the team.
“There’s a lot that goes into that position prior to 6:38 or whatever time we start,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “There’s a lot of work done between noon and 5 that he can still do. That’s reviewing certain things and watching the game and game plans. What would you do in this situation? Why did we call what? What was the turnout? So there’s a lot of things we felt like he could gain and being here and being part of the club and I think he’s making the most of it.”
Catcher Chad Wallach said he’s been impressed with O’Hoppe’s effort in learning while he’s been rehabbing.
“Just watching the game, that’s the biggest thing,” Wallach said. “He’s taking notes. He’s paying attention, which a lot of guys wouldn’t. A lot of guys would take this time and kind of just check out for a while. It  just shows how much he loves the game. He wants to learn. He wants to be here… He wants to know the game plan and stuff like that, which is cool. It’s big for him being a young guy and just learning as he goes even through the injury.”
It remains to be seen when he’ll get to put it all back into use on the field. O’Hoppe suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was expected to have him out four to six months. If he comes back in four, that would be late August.
“They told me four to six months, so why wouldn’t anyone try to come back in four?” O’Hoppe said. “That’s the mindset I have.”
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
At the start of the season, the Angels bullpen was short on pitchers with high velocity fastballs who could rack up strikeouts. Now they’ve added right-handers Chase Silseth, Sam Bachman and Ben Joyce, who all throw in the upper 90s or harder.
They’ve also added some walks, though. Silseth has averaged 4.6 walks per nine innings in the majors. Bachman (5.2 walks per nine innings) and Joyce (5.3) have both had walk problems in the minors.
General manager Perry Minasian conceded that the Angels are taking a risk by adding pitchers like that to the bullpen.
“There is give and take,” Minasian said. “With power comes a little less command, unless you’re a Hall of Famer, to a certain extent. That’s all part of a learning curve. It’s definitely different from what we’ve had from a look standpoint. We’ll see how it plays out.”
NOTES
First baseman Jared Walsh was not in the lineup, even though the Angels were facing a right-hander on Monday. Manager Phil Nevin said it was just a day off. Nevin said he wanted Luis Rengifo to play because he had two hits, including a homer, against White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech. …
Third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin) took some grounders and did some throwing on the field before Monday’s game. Rendon has also done some running in the outfield. Although he’s been adding activities lately, there is no timetable for his return. “Just a day by day thing,” Minasian said. “We miss having him in the lineup. Hopefully he’s back sooner than later. I think we’re a different team with him.” …
Left-hander José Suarez (shoulder) has been working out in Arizona. Suarez is still not throwing yet, Minasian said. …
Right-hander Chris Rodriguez (shoulder) is throwing in Arizona, but still not off the mound. Rodriguez “has had some setbacks,” Minasian said. The Angels have “done what we need to do medically” to make sure he doesn’t need further treatment, Minasian said, so they are just waiting for him to be ready for more activity.
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-0, 4.81) vs. White Sox (RHP Lucas Giolito, 3-4, 3.98), Tuesday, 5:10 p.m., Guaranteed Rate Field, Bally Sports West,  830 AM.
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