Neto’s Quest Next Season Will Be For Consistency

Zach Neto went into this season with a reputation as one of the best shortstops in baseball, but he had a strange season that cost the Los Angeles Angels star a bit of his reputation. Neto struggled early while showing flashes of what gave him his sterling image, and he finally slowly recovered to have a strong finish. 

This didn’t do the Angels any good, of course. They were a 100-loss team that wound up with a Triple-A lineup and a bullpen that wasn’t even that good, so there was no way Neto was going to save the Halos. 

The Angels did hang on to Neto, though, and that’s where things get interesting. They have a deep-pockets owner coming in with the resources to get better, and on paper Neto has more than enough talent to lead a winning team. 

But that feels like a big ask at the moment, which is why Neto emphasized consistency as his primary goal for next season. He mentioned a conversation he had with interim GM John Mozeliak around the trade deadline as one that helped him recover his confidence and reboung, and the GM responded by saying that Neto “really grew up,” according to a piece written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.  

What Neto didn’t mention was a conversation that was reported on Angels TV that had Mozeliak visiting him in the clubhouse after he didn’t run out a ground ball full speed, which could explain the reference to growing up. 

But Neto’s future isn’t locked in or carved in stone just yet. He’s under team control, but we still don’t how whoever gets hired by Stan Kroenke’s KSE ownership group will view him. The Angels also have an up-and-coming prospect in Arjun Nimmala who could wind up at short, so that will factor into his future as well. 

Neto also said he was most proud of his durability, as he played in 157 games this season. He’s also had at least 20 homers and 20 doubles in each of the last three seasons, which is a pretty unique package offensively for a shortstop. 

But Neto’s ultimate goal is to just get back to what he’s very good at. That means crowding the plate, getting hit by pitches and not missing his pitch. He thinks that's who he his as a player, and he also mentioned feeling like he was a better defender in the second half of the season. He’s still just 25, so there’s a lot of untapped potential to realize as the Angels start their rebuilding process.