MIAMI – Zach Neto grew up attending Marlins games as a Miami native, with Giancarlo Stanton, José Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and José Fernández being among his favorite players.
“I have been circling this day since the schedule first came out,” Neto said on Friday. “With a lot of trade stuff happening, I was just making sure that I came back home and like I said, this is a dream come true being able to play back home where it all started.”
Neto was a trade candidate but stayed with the Angels following the Trade Deadline on Aug. 3. His return home was bittersweet, as the shortstop went 1-for-13 with five strikeouts in the Angels’ three-game series against the Marlins at loanDepot park, which ended with a 12-3 loss on Sunday.
But while Neto struggled at the plate, he continued to find ways to contribute defensively.
Neto made one of his best plays of the series in the bottom of the third inning Sunday, retiring speedy Otto Lopez at first. Lopez sent a chopper into the hole between short and third, and Neto gloved it before making an off-balance throw across his body.
“I thought he had no chance on that play,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “That’s the type of player he is. He’s a special player that can impact the game on both sides. I think for a younger player too, it's just understanding the ebbs and flows of the game.
“For him being talented enough to impact it on both sides, [and] when one is not going well, the other can impact the game.”
Starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez also pointed to the play after settling in following a difficult first inning in which he allowed two walks, a triple and two singles on 35 pitches.
“Anytime you kind of have a long inning in the first, obviously you're just trying to get your guys back in the dugout so they can hit,” said Rodriguez, who went on to strike out a season-high eight batters. “Second inning, I think it was [an] eight- or nine-pitch inning, which was really good.
“Had a great, great defensive play at shortstop that really saved it right there. Started us out on the right foot.”
For Neto, being able to separate his defense and offense has been the biggest difference maker.
“That’s something I learned over the years,” said Neto, who also made an over-the-shoulder basket catch on Friday. “No matter if I'm doing good at the plate or not, no matter if I'm having a good game defensively or not, just be able to have two different emotions when I'm out there and just do my best.”
Neto contributed offensively on Sunday, putting one of the Angels’ three runs on the board with a double that was originally called a single in the top of the first inning. After Nolan Schanuel walked, Neto sent an 81.8 mph sweeper off Ryan Gusto to shallow center field, with Jakob Marsee deciding to dive instead of playing it on a hop.
The ball bounced away, with Lopez retrieving it and throwing the ball home as Schanuel rounded the bases and slid headfirst safely to take an early 1-0 lead. The tag play was upheld after the Marlins challenged.
Neto played all three games of the series in the cleanup spot after playing 107 games in the leadoff spot this season. He is slashing .224/.308/.413 with a .721 OPS in the No. 1 spot and .167/.167/.389 while batting fourth. Wade Meckler took over leadoff in the series.
“[Meckler] does a lot of good things with the bat in the leadoff spot and I just feel like the lineup flows better,” Suzuki said Saturday. “Neto's going to have more opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position, so I think it flows really nice.”
With the Angels having the worst record in the Major Leagues at 45-73, Suzuki acknowledged the challenge of keeping a young team motivated but continues to find growth in his players, with Neto being an example of that.
“I’ve been there before, right?” Suzuki said. “At the end of the day, yeah, we are where we are. But you know, there's ways to get better, and when you have a young team, there's still a lot to prove – not just to yourself, but to everybody else. Right?”
“That's kind of the messaging: to keep working, to keep getting better … every single day.”