Angels shortstop Zach Neto struggled with injury in his first MLB season but showed enough skills to get recognized as one of the 50 best rookies in baseball for 2023.
Neto is surely a big part of the Halos' future and checked in as the 46th-best rookie across the majors over the 162-game stretch, per Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
"Neto became the first player from the 2022 draft class to reach the majors when he took over as the Angels' starting shortstop on April 15. The 22-year-old made two separate trips to the injured list with a strained oblique and lower back inflammation, but he was still a 1.6-WAR player over 84 games."
Honorable mentions on the list went to Logan Schanuel, Jose Soriano and Logan O'Hoppe and each of these players will be key factors to the Halos' 2024 success.
Schanuel turned out to be a surprise call-up just months after being drafted but went on to set a new baseball record in his short time in the Show.
The first baseman safely reached base in his first 27 games in the majors before he went down with an injury that ultimately ended his season.
O'Hoppe ranked highly as a prospect and the backstop's September return proved to be a bright spot with the playoffs well in the rearview mirror.
The catcher already described a desire to grow alongside Neto and the end of his 2023 season only inspired confidence in that possibility.
Soriano's finish to the season proved valuable for a battered pitching staff and his contributions across 42 innings of work make him an intriguing candidate for the Halos' bullpen next season.
Neto and his talented young teammates will play for a new manager in 2024 but their skills on the diamond are already leading changes at the Big A.
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