When Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington gave reporters his initial thoughts on the starting lineup, he detailed specific players and why they are hitting in certain spots.
For Zach Neto, he didn't hesitate when Washington asked him where he wanted to be.
Halos Today reporter Noah Camras was in the scrum when the Angels' new skipper relayed what Neto told him.
“Neto told me he wants to hit ninth. He loves restarting. He said he loves turning the lineup over, and be on the bag and score some runs for those big guys that’ll be coming. He told me that. I asked him where he wanted to hit, he said I wanted to hit ninth. That kid has no hesitation. He knows what he want to do.”
Neto, who just turned 23, made his major league debut with the Angels last season and has become the starting shortstop after being drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft. He was promoted directly from Double-A.
He played in 84 games last season and slashed .225/.308/.377 with nine homers and 34 RBIs. He did slump late in the year but not every rookie can expect perfection especially after skipping Triple-A entirely.
He did miss 21 games with a left oblique strain in mid-June and another 34 games with a lower back strain in early August.
He told Halos Today that he wanted to enter this season healthy and ready for a 162-game season.
"Just been working on making sure my body is ready to play 162 games," Neto said in regards to what he's been working on this offseason. "Making sure my back was 100 percent... and just making sure I’m out there 100 percent healthy.”
Neto is expected to make a big impact on this Halos team. He'll be doing it from the back of the lineup, per his request.
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