GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Aside from three-time MVP Mike Trout and two-time Silver Slugger Anthony Rendon, Angels manager Ron Washington is projected to field a very young lineup on his first Opening Day with the club … young, but exciting and brimming with upside.

“They’re getting educated every day out here, and they have to take that education and they have to apply it between those white lines,” Washington said before the Angels’ 5-1 loss to the White Sox on Thursday at Camelback Ranch. “And I think they are capable of doing that, and that’s what they’ve been showing me. Now we have to take it into the season and continue it.”

Headlining the club’s young upside will be 2022 first-round pick Zach Neto and 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel.

“You got Neto, I mean, he’s a different cat,” Washington said when asked which youngsters have caught his eye this spring. “You got Schanuel, who’s all of the sudden starting to realize he’s got some athleticism in him.”

Neto, who will be the everyday shortstop, is hitting .281 with two homers and seven RBIs this spring. Schanuel, who found himself in The Show last season 40 days after being selected 11th overall in the MLB Draft, opens the season as the club’s No. 1 prospect and starting first baseman. He’s hitting .270 with a homer and a triple this spring after going 0-for-2 with a walk against the White Sox.

The pair will be joined by second-year catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who got off to a hot start in 2023 before a torn labrum derailed his rookie season. O’Hoppe, 24, hit .283 with four homers in his first 53 at-bats before going on the injured list April 21. He’ll look to build on those numbers while guiding a pitching staff that has also impressed Washington this spring.

“Those three lefties we have [Tyler Anderson, Reid Detmers and Patrick Sandoval], they have the ability to shut games down,” Washington said. “And you got [Griffin] Canning and [Chase] Silseth and [Andrew] Wantz, I mean we have guys who are able to shut offenses down. … If we can get ‘em out there keeping the opponent to two or three runs every night, we’re in good shape.”

Anderson rebounds after bumpy start
Anderson has said controlling the strike zone is a priority this spring as he looks to bounce back from a tough first season with the Angels that saw him go 6-6 with a 5.43 ERA. Ahead of his start against the White Sox on Thursday, Washington said he expected to see Anderson “go out there and attack the strike zone, be very efficient with your pitches, make things happen,” as he had all spring.

It didn’t go quite that smoothly for the Angels' left-hander, who walked the first two batters he faced before allowing both to score on a bloop single and a sac fly.

Anderson’s final line showed three runs allowed on four hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings, and he was visibly irritated throughout the outing.

“Really frustrating those first two guys there, don’t want to walk the first two guys to start the game,” Anderson said. “I don’t want to walk anybody ever, but especially those two. It just reaffirms that for you when they both score.”

On the bright side, those are the only walks Anderson has issued this spring. Through four Cactus League starts, he has a 4.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Worth noting against Chicago
• Mickey Moniak went 2-for-3 against the White Sox. The 25-year-old outfielder is hitting .333 this spring.

• Lefty Drew Pomeranz, looking to earn a bullpen spot as a non-roster invitee, turned in a scoreless 1 1/3 innings with no hits, one walk and one strikeout.

Trout, Rendon stay back for another intrasquad game
For the second straight day, Trout and Rendon stayed back at the Angels’ complex to get at-bats in an intrasquad game while the team hit the road for Cactus League action.

“It was already planned with Rendon. Mike felt good about what happened yesterday and wanted to just go through it one more day,” Washington said. “They’ll play in both [Cactus League games] Friday and Saturday.”

The veterans faced right-hander Griffin Canning in Wednesday’s side game, with Trout homering on Canning’s last pitch.

“I heard [Canning’s outing] was outstanding until that last pitch,” Washington said. “I heard they were going back and forth with each other, and he got a 3-2 count and decided to flip a breaking ball -- and it didn’t make it.”