ANAHEIM — As Zach Neto continues to learn what it takes to be successful in the majors, he’s taken a lesson from track and field.
“Track stars don’t run at 100%,” the Angels shortstop said on Saturday. “They tend not to run their fastest or tense up. When they run at 85%, they are nice and loose, their minds working, and they’re the fastest they can be. That’s what I’m trying to be. I’m trying to be loose up there and just let my instincts and talents play.”
Lately it’s been working.
After a slow start to his season, Neto had eight hits in 13 at-bats on the first four games of the current homestand. That included four doubles and his first home run of the season.
He’s been good enough that Manager Ron Washington put him in the No. 2 spot for Saturday’s game, after he had hit ninth in his first 24 starts of the season.
“The hope is that moving him up in order can help spark our offense,” Washington said. “You never know. He might spark the offense then for 30 at-bats, go in the tank again and then I gotta make another move. But the fact that he’s swinging the bat, I want to try to take advantage of it.”
Neto said he hasn’t made any major mechanical changes. It’s more about his feeling and mindset at the plate.
Beyond the “85% theory,” Neto said he changed his walk-up music to a salsa tune because he wants to go up to the plate with “that dancing mentality. It’s helped me out and kept me loose.”
Neto said he’s also watched some video from his college days – only two years ago, by the way – and that helped restore some confidence.
“We were joking ‘Man, where the heck is this guy at?’” Neto said.
Neto also said that he’s worked to improve his plate discipline.
“I’ve just been smarter at the plate,” he said. “Swinging at strikes usually helps. I’ve just been doing that, and some good outcomes have come.”
Neto, 23, has been in the majors for just over a year, with a couple of injuries cutting into his playing time. He came into Saturday’s game with 421 major league plate appearances and 109 games under his belt.
He posted a .685 OPS in 2023, and his recent hot streak lifted him to .646 through the first month of 2024.
Although the offense has been inconsistent, his defense has been very good, besides a couple misplays in the first week.
“That’s the biggest thing, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of maturing myself to whatever happens at the plate, just kind of leaving it in the dugout,” Neto said. “If I can’t help the team in the box, might as well help the team on the field.”
SANO GETS CHECKED
Miguel Sanó went to have his sore left knee checked on Saturday afternoon, and the Angels had no update yet on what the results were.
Sanó has been bothered by the knee issue for several days, and Washington said it’s been a factor in his recent struggles at the plate. Sanó struck out seven times and walked once in eight plate appearances in the previous three games.
Sanó came out of Wednesday afternoon’s game because of the knee, but then reported on Friday feeling better. He started the game, but his knee “flared up again,” after two at-bats, Washington said, and he was pulled.
CLEAN IT UP
The Angels had Mike Trout and Jo Adell out early working on routes in the outfield after the miscommunication that led to a dropped ball and a run on Friday night.
Washington said Adell made the mistake by not taking a route that would keep him from running into Trout.
“You’re supposed to know right away where that person you’re running toward is when you take off,” Washington said. “You don’t find him when you arrive. That’s just experience.”
Trout was calling for the ball, but Adell was too close to him as Trout was ready to make the catch.
“We’ve got a young kid out there that’s full of vinegar,” Washington said. “Everything that goes up, he thinks he can get. That’s just something he’s got to learn.”
Washington said the other significant misplay of Friday’s game was because first baseman Nolan Schanuel did not call off catcher Logan O’Hoppe on a pop-up between the two players. Schanuel was coming in and O’Hoppe was going back, so it was Schanuel’s ball. O’Hoppe ended up dropping it.
“We’ve been making some unforced mistakes and good teams don’t do that,” Washington said. “And were trying to become a good team.”
Washington said to this point he’s been satisfied that the Angels’ young players have learned from their mistakes enough to not repeat them. He pointed out that they’ve already seen significant improvement in infielder Luis Rengifo’s defense after they worked to clean up the mistakes from the last trip.
UP NEXT
Twins (RHP Pablo López, 1-2, 4.39 ERA) at Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 3-1, 2.12 ERA), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM