Angels News: Two Halos Among MLB’s Top 100 Prospects
The Angels are starting to improve their farm system, and last season's trade deadline really helped. When the Angels traded OF Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Logan O'Hoppe, they got a player who instantly became the team's No. 1 overall prospect.
Add O'Hoppe to a pretty decent 2022 MLB Draft, and the Angels are starting to have some up-and-coming prospects. In Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects of 2023, the Angels had two players represented.
O'Hoppe was ranked as the No. 42 overall prospect in the MLB, while 2022 first-round pick Zach Neto was ranked at No. 53.
O'Hoppe came up at the end of last season, and played some very solid baseball both offensively and defensively. In the minor leagues last season, both in Philadelphia and the Angels' Double-A squads, O'Hoppe hit .283 with 26 home runs, 78 RBIs and an OPS of .960. He impressed the Angels so much that he jumped from Double-A to the MLB before last season ended.
As for Neto, he was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Halos. He quickly rose through the Angels' minor league systems, playing in High-A and Double-A last season.
In 30 games in Double-A, Neto hit .320 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and an OPS of .874. The 21-year-old has made such a good impression that some writers think he could make his debut as early as this season. The Angels do have a need at shortstop, so it'll be interesting to see how quickly Neto continues to rise the ranks of the minor leagues.
Either way, the Angels finally have some prospects to be excited about. O'Hoppe is expected to play a big role next season, but we'll see if Neto ends up playing one, too.
