When the Los Angeles Angels drafted shortstop Zach Neto in 2022 with the 13th overall pick, some people may have thought it was a nice story of a kid being drafted out of Campbell University – a school that is not exactly known for sending players to the majors.
But Neto is not just a nice story – and no team would waste a first-round pick on a nice story. Neto was a star for the Camels, finishing his three-year career with a .403/.500/.751 slash line with 27 homers, 108 RBI and 31 steals in 100 games and 475 plate appearances and helping lead the team to the NCAA tournament in 2021 and 2022.
Little did people know, however, that within a year of being drafted, Neto would be playing shortstop for the Angels.
The Fast Track
After being drafted and signing with the Angels, Neto was assigned to High-A Tri-City, where he played in a total of seven games before moving up to Double-A Rocket City, where he slashed .320/.382/.492 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and four steals. Neto started the 2023 season at Rocket City but was there for only seven games as he slashed .444/.559/.815 with three home runs and 10 RBI.
Neto didn’t even have time to find a place to sleep while at Triple-A Salt Lake City as his stint there lasted only four games before he was recalled to the majors by the Angels. Less than a year after the draft, he was starting for the Angels after entering the season ranked as the 53rd best prospect by Baseball America, 89 by MLB.com and 47th by Baseball Prospectus
Career Statistics
| YEAR | GAMES | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 84 | 38 | 9 | 34 | 5 | .225 | .308 | .377 | 86 |
| 162 AVG | 73 | 17 | 66 | 10 | .225 | .308 | .377 | 86 |
With Zach Neto having no issues facing minor league pitching (.321/.410/.551 slash line with 10 homers and 40 RBI in 48 games), the Angels decided to hand over the shortstop job to Neto and let him learn at the highest level.
The rookie held his own the first two months on the job, slashing .250/.350/.327 with four RBI in April before hitting three bombs and driving in 14 runs with a .231/.294/.396 slash line in May. By June, Neto was finding his groove at the plate by slashing .355/.444/.710 with three homers through 12 games before being sidelined with an oblique strain that kept him out of the lineup for a month.
When he returned, he struggled at the plate before being sidelined again for another month with lower back inflammation. By the time he returned in September, all he could do at the plate was slash .169/.286/.262 with one home run. It was a disappointing end to a season that was showing a lot of promise in June.
Inside the Numbers
Zach Neto is not going to be a power hitter in the true sense of the word. The ball does not jump off his bat. Last year his Avg. EV was 89.1 mph, barely above the MLB average of 88.4 mph.
However, he does have good contact skills and makes solid contact. His slugging percentage in college was .751 and during his brief stint in the minors, it was .529. His Barrel% was 8.8% (MLB average is 6.9%) last season, his Sweet Spot% was 33.8% (average is 33.1%) and his Hard Hit% was 40.3% (average is 36.3%).
However, there are some holes in Neto’s game and he will need to address them in order to take the next step and become a consistent force at the plate. Basically, he has to improve against breaking balls and offspeed pitches.
While he hit .257 with a .447 slugging percentage against the fastball last year, he was .163/.228 against breaking pitches and .227/.227 versus offspeed pitches.
He’s Undervalued
Neto is the true definition of an up-and-coming dynasty player. Right now his value is really low. He is rostered in only 8% of ESPN leagues and 14% of Yahoo leagues. But those leagues don’t really cater to dynasty leagues. Heading over to Fantrax, however, you will see he is rostered by 82% of leagues.
If you are new to dynasty leagues, you are probably going to take another shortstop first as there are plenty who offer more power and more speed right now. Heck, depending on what ranking you want to look at, he is ranked below Tommy Edman. I think we have seen the best of Tommy Edman. We have not seen the best of Zach Neto.
Will Neto be a star this year at the plate? Most of the projections I see have seen him slashing in the range of .250/.320/.415. That may be closer to right this season. But what about next year and the year after that?
Looking into my crystal ball, I see a player who can hit close to 30 doubles and 15 homers to boost his slugging percentage with 10 steals and offer a solid slash line of .285/.350/.435. That is a solid dynasty player and one I want on my team.
What are your thoughts on Nick Loftin? He Made the team…I think plays a lot!
His playing time in the future depends on how well he plays now with Massey out – but that’s pretty obvious. He’s a good contact hitter and has always been able to hit. The ability to play all over the place is great.
Assuming he continues hitting, I can see three to four starts per week and be a great utility player in deep leagues.
Thanks for reading.
Have a twelve team Points redraft Draft tomorrow. Was actually thinking of waiting on SS/ MI for the Vope’s, Neto’s, Tim Anderson’s of the world and grabbing Pitchers and Outfielders instead of all the glitz at SS. Thoughts?
That’s not a bad strategy. There is a lot of depth at short/second base. Meanwhile, with pitchers headed to the IL every day, securing some top starters is a smart idea along with some top outfielders.
Of course, if Bobby Witt Jr. is staring you in the face, that’s tough to pass up! ?.
Thanks for the question and reading.
The kid just turned 23 years old in January. Who knows how much his game will grow. He’s my starting SS in two leagues, so I am hoping for more! Good piece J.
I think his upside is there, obviously. I just think he reaches his full potential next year and not this year. I hope I’m wrong as that would be great for a few of my teams. But the realist in me sees a good year this year, better year in 2025 and beyond.
Thanks for reading.
Also interesting is LAA plan to run more. He seems like a prime guy to double his expected SB if that’s the case
He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he’s a good baserunner. With one less pickoff throw to first, he should be able to take advantage of that. Those 10 expected steals can easily be 15, maybe 20 if the Angels actually stick to their plan.
Excellent breakdown, Jakkers. Many of us scouring waivers for someone to hold Seager’s spot if he’s not there on Opening Day! E. Duran, Tim Anderson, Turang; slim pickins! Had me looking into Neto in a non-dynasty! Will table him for 2025-6…. Like any of those options? Or an under the radar likely available SS worth consideration? Thanks!
I’m sure Gelof is gone in your league. I actually think Anderson has something to prove and will be a decent fill-in for Seager. Duran is also solid.
I was looking at Urshela as a fill in as he can play multiple spots but he’s a sure bet to start at third for Detroit. But he’s still intriguing.
Thanks. Looking forward to further profiles! Good luck with your teams.
Good luck to you as well.
Nice! I hope you keep this series going, Jakkers. Combining this with The Itch’s write-ups and I think I’m set for players to target in drafts / early in their careers.
Jolt
Thanks, Jolt. This series will continue all season, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it.