Consistency will be key as Neto carries strong 2nd half of '26 into '27

While the Angels have plenty of areas where they need to improve in 2027 on the heels of losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history, shortstop isn’t one of them, with the consistency of Zach Neto.

Neto, 25, has led the Angels in Wins Above Replacement in each of the last three seasons, per Baseball-Reference, racking up 5.1 WAR in ’24, 5.3 WAR in ’25 and 5.2 WAR last year. But he believes he can be even better, as he admitted he didn’t feel right at the plate in the first half last season. That affected his defense and the way he carried himself, but things turned around in the second half.

“Just being more consistent from the start to the end,” Neto said. “I had my spurts. After the All-Star break, I would say, is when I started feeling like myself again. I think the biggest thing is just being consistent all around.”

Neto also fared better after meeting with interim general manager John Mozeliak in early August, as Neto dealt with the uncertainty of the Trade Deadline. Neto needed some assurance from the front office, and Mozeliak helped him regain some confidence.

“I talked with him about just kind of seeing what the problems were and how can I get back to myself,” Neto said. “But that's how good players and great players differentiate themselves, right? You have to be able to go through the pain and overcome it. In the past it's been injuries, but this year it was adversity.”

Mozeliak was impressed with how Neto carried himself the rest of the way and believes it’s something he can build on as he continues to mature. Neto also became a better leader down the stretch, and his teammates noticed the way he was carrying himself.

“To me, he really grew up,” Mozeliak said. “You think back to not just the on-the-field success, but I think his teammates started to look at him, and so I feel like from a leadership standpoint, he really grew up and embraced that.”

The Angels, though, still have some decisions to make with Neto, who remains under team control through 2029 and is arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason.

New ownership will have to decide whether to build around him over the next three seasons or possibly revisit the idea of trading him and starting a rebuild. It’s still unclear how the Angels will approach this offseason, especially with the sale of the club to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment not expected to become official until early 2027.

The Angels have some young talent at shortstop waiting in the wings, highlighted by the club’s No. 1 prospect, Arjun Nimmala, who was acquired in the trade that sent José Soriano to the Blue Jays on Aug. 3. Denzer Guzman is also a natural shortstop, but he played 84 games at third base as a 22-year-old rookie this season.

But neither appears ready to take over at shortstop just yet, and Neto has said in the past that he’d like to remain with the Angels and be part of the solution for a franchise that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2014. And he believes there’s still positive things to take away from 2026.

“Just the grit and adversity that we had to deal with,” Neto said. “You just have to move forward. We can all say that we could have done things differently. But the one thing about this locker room compared to the past, everyone was playing for each other.”

Neto is most proud of his durability in the middle of a tough year, as he played in a career-high 157 games after being limited to 128 in 2025 after undergoing shoulder surgery prior to that season. He wasn’t pleased with striking out 215 times, but it’s something he improved on in the second half, with a 31.4 percent strikeout rate before the All-Star break and 29.2 percent rate after.

Neto, who has at least 20 homers and 20 doubles in each of the last three seasons, said his goal is to simply carry over what he did late in the season into next year, and he believes he’s capable of putting it all together.

“Just getting back to what I'm very good at,” Neto said. “Getting close to the plate, getting hit by pitches and not missing my pitch. And I think that's who I am as a player. I feel like in the second half, I was a way better defender. And that comes with feeling comfortable in the box, and when I feel like that, everything goes from there.”