The 2022 season didn’t go according to plan for the Los Angeles Angels, and by the August 2 MLB trade deadline, they were sellers. That amounted to the team making several deals, including sending Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies for top catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe.
O’Hoppe was the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Phillies system at the time of the trade and immediately became the Angels top farmhand. He had hit a solid .275/.392/.496 with 11 doubles, 15 home runs and 45 RBI for the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate Reading Fightin Phils upon arriving to L.A.
O’Hoppe began his tenure with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate Trash City Pandas and continued raking. He batted a stellar .306/.473/.674 with three doubles, 11 home runs and 33 RBI to go along with 29 walks against 22 strikeouts in 29 games.
After that encouraging showing, O’Hoppe was added to the Angels’ taxi squad during the penultimate week of the regular season and activated ahead of the team’s matchup against the Oakland Athletics on September 28.
O’Hoppe made his MLB debut that night, starting behind the plate and going 1-for-3. The 22-year-old said after the game that he was grateful his family had the opportunity to attend and watch him in person.
O’Hoppe appeared in four more games before the regular season came to an end. During his cup of coffee, he went 4-for-16 with two RBI, two walks and one run scored. The Angels were 3-2 in the games O’Hoppe played.
Logan O’Hoppe 2022 highlight
O’Hoppe receiving his first MLB promotion is a highlight of his own, but in terms of statistics, he enjoyed his best performance of the 2022 season on October 2 against the Texas Rangers, reaching base twice and driving in his first career RBI.
2023 outlook
O’Hoppe is among the Angels under team control for the 2023 season with less than three years of service time. He will be eligible for salary arbitration in 2026 and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2028 season.
Depending on the play of Max Stassi, O’Hoppe could potentially push for the starting job at catcher in Spring Training. If that doesn’t happen, O’Hoppe will likely begin the year with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he would be able to get everyday at-bats.
Projection systems also remain high on O’Hoppe, which is a positive development for a team that has struggled to develop young players.
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