The Angels may be drifting toward an ugly finish, but Zach Neto and Christian Moore are giving the club something it has not had to worry about: the shame of becoming its first 100-loss team.
That possibility has hung over the season, and while it may sound like a cold comfort to outsiders, it is anything but meaningless inside the clubhouse. Players care about pride, and they care about what their season says about them when it is over. In Seattle, Neto and Moore have been showing exactly that kind of edge.
Neto, the Roberto Clemente Award nominee, has kept his foot on the gas. He enters with a four-game hitting streak and added his 27th home run of the season last night, along with two doubles. Over his last four games, he has six hits, including two homers and two doubles, plus three runs scored, two stolen bases, four walks and three strikeouts.
Moore delivered the biggest swing of the night, launching a three-run homer that pushed the Angels ahead 5-0 in a game the bullpen nearly gave away. The 2024 first-round pick has a knack for delivering in the moments that matter, and he is starting to square the ball up more consistently.
In his last four games, Moore has five hits that have driven in five runs, including that home run and a key double last night. After looking lost at the plate for much of September, the Volunteer is finishing 2026 on a much better note.
For an Angels team searching for the next core, Neto already looks like a building block. He stumbled through a rough first half, then caught fire over the last two months. With three years of club control left, he seems positioned to be a fixture for years to come.
Moore is still trying to prove he belongs at this level. He was pushed to the majors early, and the results were predictably uneven.
Hitting in the thinner air of Salt Lake City does not fully prepare a young hitter for the movement on pitches at sea level, so his late-season improvement matters. The Angels need to know whether his bat can catch up to the promise that made him a first-round pick.
The plan when Moore’s name was called in 2024 was for him and Neto to become a double-play tandem for a long time. Neto is already there.
If Moore keeps trending this way, the Angels may finally have something to build around. Perhaps this hot streak from both is a preview of what comes next season.
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Six Angels players, including Zach Neto and Wade Meckler, have posted a wRC+ above 100 with runners in scoring position, a useful sign for a club trying to build something sturdier for next year. The overall numbers in those situations are still poor, though, and part of the drag has come from players who may not be around long enough to factor into the next stage of the rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Yates Season Took A Sudden Turn Angels Fans Will Notice
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Yates final ledger showed a 32-29 record, a 3.35 ERA and 101 saves, a resume built over years of late-inning work and frequent movement. After being traded to the Pirates during the season, he said his decision was tied to wanting more time with his family, leaving his next chapter clear even as his last major-league one closed without much warning. [Read more 🡒]