Angels' 6 iron men lead the charge into '25

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Angels manager Ron Washington has spoken often this year of the importance of his youngsters getting through a full season for the first time in their career.

So he’s proud that catcher Logan O'Hoppe, 24, shortstop Zach Neto, 23, and first baseman Nolan Schanuel, 22, have made it through the season healthy despite some of the ups and downs each has endured. Neto leads the club in games played with 152, while Schanuel is third with 145 and O’Hoppe is fourth with 132.

Veteran outfielder Taylor Ward, who has played in 150 games, is the only other everyday position player to make it through the season unscathed. Among starting pitchers, only veteran lefty Tyler Anderson and right-hander Griffin Canning made every start this season.

“It's something that they have to go through to understand how to get through it,” Washington said. “We started in February with a vision of who we thought was going to be out there and what we expected, and Schanuel, O’Hoppe, Neto and Taylor Ward, they showed up every single day and posted. That means a lot. That builds character, and it means a lot to their teammates. You know to know that they're dependable, and they all dealt with issues throughout the year.”

Washington said he believes things would’ve been much different this season if key players such as Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Luis Rengifo, Brandon Drury and Patrick Sandoval had stayed healthy. But their injuries also allowed the young players the chance to learn to battle through adversity, which Washington said will benefit them going forward.

“I just wish we wouldn't have broken down, because if we wouldn't have broken down, whether you believe me or not, we'd be in much better shape than we are right now,” Washington said. “But we broke down, and only two pitchers and four players made it to the end.”

Ward said he was pleased to set a career high in games played, especially after his 2023 season ended in traumatic fashion when he was hit in the face by a pitch on July 29 that required multiple operations. The 30-year-old developed into more of a leader this year due to the youth of the club, and he set an example for how to get through the daily grind, especially with his strong offensive finish to the season.

“It’s pretty cool,” Ward said. “Especially for the way I feel. Body-wise, I’m pretty impressed with just the lack of soreness and just being crushed, I feel like I could play definitely 30 more games. So it's cool to play this many games, [and I] just want to definitely finish healthy.”

While Ward has trended upward, O’Hoppe slumped in the second half and Neto is in a recent skid at the plate. Schanuel followed a strong July with a down August, but he has picked up again in September. Washington believes the group will be more consistent next year because of what it’s going through this season.

“This year, they had to see how to play tired,” Washington said. “They had to see how to play when their mind tried to tell their body to shut down. But going into next year, hopefully we can make some adjustments and maybe stop some of that.”

Washington knows the Angels need to add pieces and much-needed depth this offseason, but he also wants to see more from his regulars next season. He’s pleased with the way O’Hoppe, Schanuel, Neto, Ward, Anderson and Canning went about their business, but he knows they’ll need more than that next year if they want to be in contention.

“Those six guys, they should be the poster guys for us for 2024,” Washington said. “But starting in 2025, we expect to have a lot more of them posting daily.”