New leadership reignites Logan O'Hoppe's passion for the game, sparking a promising comeback season for the Angels' catcher.
Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe is ready for a bounce-back campaign in 2026, and with new coaches coming in this season, he’s found his love for the position once again.
Landing with the Angels in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, O’Hoppe has played 311 games in Anaheim. He established himself as a good catcher in 2024, his first season of more than 51 games. In that campaign, O’Hoppe smashed 20 home runs and finished with 2.7 WAR.
2025 was supposed to be the year for him to take off even further, but he struggled at the plate as well as defensively. His OPS dropped to just .629 and was near the bottom of the league in nearly every catching statistic, such as framing, pop time, and blocks above average.
At 26 years old, O’Hoppe needs a huge bounce-back season in 2026. Luckily, things are falling into place for him to have that season he’s been waiting for.
The Angels brought in former catcher Kurt Suzuki this offseason to take over as the club’s manager, and he brought in former Angels’ catcher Max Stassi to take over as the catching coach. Both Suzuki and Stassi are former teammates of O’Hoppe on the 2022 roster.
In an interview with MLB Network Radio, O’Hoppe detailed how the Suzuki and Stassi have impacted his game a few weeks into spring.
“Between [Suzuki] and Stassi, our catching coach too, it’s been the most fun I’ve had,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s been the most fun I’ve had. I’ve completely fallen in love with catching again because of those two guys.”
O’Hoppe said he likes how easy it is to approach his manager and catching coach without worrying, which has made a big difference in his mindset on a daily basis. It’s having an impact on the field as well.
In seven games this spring, O’Hoppe has found his bat again. He’s knocked five hits, one of which was a triple, and two more as home runs. His slash line as of Thursday morning reads .313/.421/.813 with a 1.234 OPS.
Those numbers will come back down to Earth, but if he can keep his OPS around .800 again in 2026, the Angels will have one of their best players back after a rough season in 2025. With a former catcher as his manager, perhaps his defensive game will also see some improvement, especially if he’s feeling more comfortable approaching the coaches. So far, the Angels seem to have gotten their catcher back again, ready to be one of the most valuable players on the roster this season.