Angels star catcher predicted to have a power surge in 2024

The Los Angeles Angels will enter the 2024 season with a lineup that, at least on paper, looks nowhere near as formidable as the one they had last season. The loss of Shohei Ohtani is glaring, and going to be an issue for a team that was just average offensively with Shohei involved.

The Angels still have Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, but who knows how healthy they'll be and in the case of Rendon, how productive he'll be. What gives Angels fans some semblance of hope is the young players the team has. Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel both impressed in their rookie seasons, but by far the most impressive young Angels position player was Logan O'Hoppe.

His injury really put a damper on things, but when healthy, you could see why the Angels were willing to trade Brandon Marsh to get him. O'Hoppe looked like a future star from day one, and Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report seems to believe his ascension to stardom will come as soon as the 2024 season by saying he's primed for a power surge this upcoming season.

Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe is primed to have a power surge in 2024

When healthy, O'Hoppe was a force at the plate in 2023. He hit 14 home runs in just 51 games and 182 at-bats, putting him on pace to hit roughly 44 home runs in a 162-game season. Obviously, as a catcher, he wouldn't play in close to 162 games, but he could've easily hit 30+ home runs in his rookie season, which is crazy to think about.

FanGraphs projects O'Hoppe to have another big power year in 2024, having him smack 22 home runs in just 107 games played. In an ideal world, O'Hoppe will play in far more than 107 games, but it goes to show just how much power he has.

With the Angels out of contention and having virtually no protection in the lineup for O'Hoppe in September, the 23-year-old wound up hitting nine home runs in 93 at-bats. He was a bright spot in what was another down month, and showed what kind of force he can be if he can stay healthy.

Angels fans don't have much to look forward to with the team likely nowhere near playoff contention, but O'Hoppe certainly is someone to watch. He has the chance to prove himself as not only a key building block for the future in Anaheim, but as one of the best catchers in the sport.