The Angels spent much of this season trying to patch together a lineup that never quite held. In the middle of that mess, Zach Neto became one of the bigger questions on the roster - and maybe one of the more interesting answers, too.
For most of the year, Neto sat near the top of the order as the Angels’ leadoff hitter, and it just didn’t work. His approach was built around damage, not table-setting, and the results reflected that.
He chased too much, struck out too often and put the Angels in too many dead spots when innings were begging to be extended. Neto finished with 215 strikeouts in 619 at-bats, and the rough stretches outweighed the occasional burst, including the leadoff home runs that popped up along the way.
Then came a move that actually made sense. In midseason, manager Kurt Suzuki slid Neto into the cleanup spot to try to jolt him out of a slump, and for a stretch, Neto looked right at home there.
The new slot fit his swing profile better; if he was going to live with the chase, it was easier to justify with runners on and the chance to do damage. He answered with a short but noticeable power surge.
The issue, of course, was that the surge didn’t last, and Suzuki never really explained why. That only added another layer to a year that already raised more questions than it answered. The Angels also had to work around a thin batting order, especially in the second half, with Mike Trout and Wade Meckler as the other real hitters around him.
Neto did finish stronger. He settled down late, stopped chasing as much and started spraying the ball around. By the end, he had pushed his average to almost .240 and wrapped up the season with a .239/.330/.439 line and a .766 OPS.
Even with that finish, the long-term fit is still unresolved. New ownership doesn’t take over until next year, so the bigger picture remains cloudy. But based on what he showed this season, Neto looked more comfortable in the middle of the lineup than at the top, and the cleanup spot might end up being his best home once the Angels are ready to build something more stable.
There’s also the money question. Neto’s contract would currently come in around a $40 million AAV, though that’s tied up in what happens after the lockout. For now, though, he looks like a keeper - and a cleanup hitter waiting for the Angels to get their roster in order.
In Other News...
Angels Free Agent Fit Comes With A Risk This Roster Can't Ignore
The Angels are still searching for the kind of left-handed bat that can change a lineup without clogging the bases, and Trent Grisham naturally surfaces as the sort of free-agent name that fits the checklist on paper. He has shown the ability to take walks and, at his best, can supply real power from the left side, which is exactly the profile this roster lacks as it tries to build around more dependable on-base and run-producing threats.
But there is a reason any conversation about Grisham comes with a built-in warning label. The offensive track record has been uneven enough to make his ceiling hard to trust, and the defensive value that once helped sell his overall package has not looked as sturdy lately. For an Angels front office that cannot afford another costly misread in free agency, the appeal is obvious, but so is the risk. [Read more 🡒]
Angels New Era Is Starting To Show In One Crucial Place
A revamped Angels front office has made one thing clear in recent months: the focus is no longer just on the big league roster, but on what can come next. Interim general manager John Mozeliak has spent the summer trying to fortify the farm system through trades and the draft, giving a long-thin pipeline more life with a wave of additions that have started to change the organizations depth chart from the bottom up.
The deadline moves brought in a fresh crop of prospects, and the draft added another layer of upside to the mix. The headliner was Huntington Beach outfielder Jared Grindlinger, a 17-year-old taken early in the 2024 class, while several other newcomers were folded into the clubs top 30 list. It is early, but for an Angels system that has needed help for years, this is the kind of inventory that can make the rest of the rebuild feel a little more real. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Are Letting A Leadership Problem Get Worse Fast
The Angels decision to keep Kurt Suzuki in place after a poor season is doing more than dragging out a disappointing year. It is also slowing down the kind of managerial search that usually needs clear timing and a clean handoff, especially for a club already dealing with questions about ownership and direction. For a team trying to reset, the longer the current setup lingers, the harder it can be to line up the next move.
There were at least a couple of names that could have made the process feel more manageable, but the pool is thinning quickly. With Alex Cora and Don Mattingly no longer available, the Angels are left watching options disappear while the search remains stuck in place. That only raises the pressure on a front office that already has to sort through a messy organizational backdrop before it can settle on the person who will guide the next step. [Read more 🡒]