Ron Rigney shares his top prospects and where they stand in their progression towards the Big Leagues in 2023! Follow Ron on Twitter – @RonRigney
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Zach Neto, SS – LAA
I’m sure it meant a lot for Neto to get called to the show after a couple weeks, but I’m sure he’s just as proud to be our first profiled prospect! The former Campbell University standout ranked as the 82nd overall prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. After being selected 13th overall in the 2022 draft, he raked at AA with a .320/.382/.492 with four homers and four steals.
Heading into the season, I tried to get Neto in both of my deep dynasties, and I was actually able to land him in both. Aside from being a college bat with a bit more polish than others, the Angels’ roster didn’t have many roadblocks for him to hit The Bigs. David Fletcher began the season as the starting shortstop, but a 2 for 16 start at the plate along with Neto being on fire at AA were enough to get Fletcher sent to Triple-A and to give Neto the call up.
He won’t hit 50 homers or steal 50 bases, but Neto will contribute across the board. He won’t strike out a ton, and has decent plate discipline, so he won’t kill you either. I see him as a 20/15 guy in the Majors with a respectable slash line. If you have room on your bench, he’s worth and add and stash.
The season long outlook for Neto is a tough one to predict. It’s clear the Angels wanted to get him up as soon as possible, but in his first two games he’s gone 0 for 7. I don’t like the complete skip of Triple-A on his way to The Majors. He will be a useful fantasy piece, but we may see him get sent back down for a bit if he doesn’t see success, so be patient.
