Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Zack Neto (22) shows off his hot bat.
Neto started at shortstop in the ninth spot in the lineup against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday. He went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored on the day. The multi-hit game was a spark for the offense.
All of Neto’s hits on the day were for extra bases. In his first two at-bats, Neto singled. But in the fifth inning, he led off with a double. Neto took advantage of Dane Dunning’s 89.8-mph sinker and lined a double to left field. He then took third on Taylor Ward’s single up the middle and scored on Shohei Ohtani’s sacrifice fly to left field.
Neto’s second hit came in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded, Neto swung confidently at an 89.1-mph slider from reliever Josh Svotz in the middle of the strike zone. The ball quickly sailed into the outfield for a double to left field.
Neto’s bat isn’t cooling down anytime soon. The day before, he hit two home runs against the Seattle Mariners. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two home runs, two RBIs, and three runs scored. It was his first career multi-homer game, leading the Angels to a 9-4 victory.
Neto was selected by the Angels with the 스포츠토토 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 draft. He spent his first season in the minors, batting .299 with 44 doubles, five home runs, a .476 on-base percentage and an .853 OPS in 37 games.
Neto continued his steep rise. In 2023, he went 7-for-27 with 12 doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, and a .444 OPS in 1.374 games at Double-A. The Angels promptly gave him a big league call-up, and he made it to the majors less than two years after turning pro.
Of course, there were concerns. Neto was making his major league debut too soon. Angels manager Phil Nevin had a lot of faith in Neto, saying, “He’s going to have some growing pains, but he’s ready to go.”
With his manager’s faith in him, Neto is proving why he’s been called up. In 53 games, Neto is hitting .171 with 44 doubles, five home runs, 20 RBIs, a .257 on-base percentage, a .415 slugging percentage, and a .753 OPS.
