Zach Neto ignites early All-Star buzz, while a familiar face, Mike Trout, finds himself surprisingly absent from initial predictions.
The Los Angeles Angels are off to a respectable 3-4 start through the first week of action in 2026. It may not seem like much, but after a back-to-back season with 90 or more losses, three wins in seven games indicate a fairly successful start to the year for the Halos.
Two of those three wins came in the opening series against the Houston Astros, where the offense was firing for most of the series. Things slowed a bit after winning the first two games of the year, but the Angels now travel to Anaheim to host the Seattle Mariners in their home opener on Friday.
With the success that the Angels have seen thus far, it’s no surprise that it has come as a result of some standout players. Bleacher Report has drafted up the first predictions of the year for this year’s All-Star teams, but the Angels only have one player representing the club despite having a few legitimate options.
Shortstop Zach Neto was predicted to be the Angels’ only representative by Bleacher Report after his hot start to the year. In 26 at-bats, Neto has six hits, seven walks, three RBIs, and two home runs. His slash line reads .241/.394/.500 with an .894 OPS. He ranks second on the club in on-base percentage and third in OPS through the first seven games.
Neto improved in each of his first three seasons in the majors and has recorded 5.1 WAR in each of his last two seasons. Now, the 25-year-old is looking to finally put himself on the list of top shortstops in the game with his first All-Star nod.
With Neto being the only Angel predicted to be on the All-Star roster this year, that means some Angels were snubbed. The obvious snub is outfielder Mike Trout, who got off to a scorching hot start in the first series of the year.
Trout recorded a hit in each of the first four games of the year, including home runs in the first two games. He failed to record a single hit in the series against the Chicago Cubs, but still walked three times over the span of the series.
It seemed like Trout was sure to reach his All-Star levels once again this year after his production against Houston, but the Cubs series has allowed some doubt to creep back in. If he can bring his production up again, Trout will certainly be on the watchlist for All-Stars after missing out on the last two Midsummer Classics.
While trout is the obvious pick, it’d be negligent to leave out the start right-hander Jose Soriano is off to in 2026. In each of his first two starts, Soriano’s gone for six innings without allowing a run to cross home. He is tied for the lead in WAR through the first week of action. Perhaps 2026 is the year in which the 27-year-old solidifies himself as one of the best starters in the game – the Angels could certainly use it.
Multiple All-Stars would be great, but the real thing that Angels fans want is competitive baseball. The Angels showed that in their first series, but looked more like the Angels of the last few years against the Cubs. Here’s to hoping for more wins in 2026.