ANAHEIM — Since his promotion to the No. 2 hole in the lineup on Aug. 3, Angels shortstop Zach Neto has been performing at a much higher level.
Neto is hitting .394 in nine games since moving from the bottom third of the order to the second spot.
He has produced three doubles, a triple and four home runs in that span while also walking five times, a lofty rate considering Neto walked just twice in 26 games in June.
“Ever since I got moved to the second hole, I feel like I get to see more at-bats, more pitches, which has helped me be able to see and recognize the pitches early,” Neto said. “I feel like that’s a good reason why I’ve been having a lot of success and just getting more comfortable there.”
Neto’s batting average was .264 entering the series opener against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, but his OPS had ballooned to .794, fifth-best among all major-league shortstops.
Neto also has the fifth-best fielding percentage (.979) among MLB shortstops while fielding the second-most chances (485).
Not bad for a 23-year-old still in his first full season in the majors.
“I see myself as, definitely, a top-five shortstop in this league,” Neto said. “I don’t really pay attention to numbers, I just like to go out there and let my actions speak for themselves, but it’s pretty cool to hear and see that. The recognition is finally coming out.”
Neto is just the second player in team history to produce at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases through his first 200 games, joining teammate Mike Trout, a three-time American League MVP.
Angels manager Ron Washington said Neto has become a “keeper” in the No. 2 slot in the order.
“He’s doing a tremendous job,” Washington said. “He’s laying off bad pitches, he’s taking pitches, he’s having good at-bats, he’s going deep in the counts, he’s taking walks, he’s staying in the big part of the field. Those are the things that it takes, and he’s doing a good job at it.”
Neto said he hasn’t noticed pitchers adjusting their strategies since he moved up in the order, but they do seem to be throwing more strikes.
“I’m at the top and, of course, they want to get ahead early,” he said. “When I was at the bottom of the lineup, pitchers already had like 20-30 pitches and they feel more comfortable wasting a pitch or whatever. But, being up there early, especially myself being always ready to hit, I feel like it’s kind of helping me out by them throwing more strikes.”
MONIAK RISING
Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak has produced three straight multi-hit games and could see a lot of playing time against the Blue Jays, who are scheduled to start three straight right-handed pitchers in the series.
Moniak is 7 for 13 in his past three games and 11 for 25 for the month.
“After the first month and a half, I feel like everything has been trending upwards, slowly but surely,” Moniak said. “Just trying to have good ABs and put good swings on balls.”
He made a rare start against a left-hander on Sunday against the Washington Nationals and went 1 for 2 against MacKenzie Gore before finishing 3 for 5, helping the Angels salvage a win in the three-game series with a 6-4 victory.
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“I said, ‘(Gore) can be a tough lefty, but you’ve been sitting around for three or four days,’” Washington said. “He went up there and had a heck of a day (Sunday), so you never know how a day’s going to turn out. I think right now, we just want to continue to match him, apply the things that he’s been working on all year and finally watch it come back together.”
Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft, but he never found his footing with the organization and was traded to the Angels in August of 2022.
He never had a multi-hit performance in 47 games with the Phillies, but has produced five in six games this month alone.
“In Philly, we were going all-in,” Moniak said. “It was time to win now, and I didn’t have the luxury to go out there and get 100 at-bats, 150 at-bats, to try and figure it out. … They were looking for wins and they needed guys to come through at that time and it wasn’t me. Obviously, I got traded over here and been grateful to be here.”
UP NEXT
Blue Jays (RHP Kevin Gausman, 10-8, 4.42 ERA) at Angels (RHP Carson Fulmer, 0-2, 3.74 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
