Zach Neto must fix this hidden flaw to become the next Angels superstar

Zach Neto has been one of the Los Angeles Angels' few player development success stories in recent years. Like many recent Angels youngsters, Neto spent minimal time in the minor leagues, logging just 48 games in the minors before his call-up in 2023.

The leap Neto made from 2023 to 2024 was substantial, and while his offensive performance remained more or less consistent from 2024 to 2025, it was still very good and ahead of expectations. With his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery delaying the start of his season, one could have imagined him needing time to shake off the rust.

Instead, he came out guns blazing and ended up showing off an increase in power, posting a .217 ISO in 2025, his first time crossing the .200 threshold. If he hadn't missed those few early weeks, it was a near guarantee that he'd have 30-30, which would have been only the Halos' third entry into that club, and the first since Mike Trout's 2012 campaign.

That power-speed combo got Neto recognized by MLB.com, ranking among the top 10 shortstops in the game, just squeaking in at No. 10. Neto is on the verge of usurping Trout as Los Angeles's franchise player (in terms of current on-field impact), but on his road to superstardom, there is one issue brewing beneath the surface that is threatening to hold him back.

Zach Neto's shaky defense is the one thing holding the Angels star back from emerging as one of the game's elite

Neto's importance to the Angels is without question, and to be sure, he's an important piece of the club's present and future. With that said, with each passing moment, the cost of extending the homegrown star is getting more and more expensive.

There are certainly things you can gripe about in the 25-year-old's game. His walk rate is below average, he strikes out a touch too much, and his hit tool is just average. Some of that can be improved upon, while other deficiencies can be negated by his incredible power and speed. None of those threatens to derail his path to the league's upper echelon of stars, however. Instead, it's his shaky glove work that could hold him down from being truly elite.

Defensive metrics vary greatly on how they see Neto. By fielding percentage, his .979 mark came in 12th among 24 qualified shortstops. By errors, his 11 gaffes were the 11th most in the league, though it should be noted that his 1078.1 innings were the fifth-fewest among the 24 qualifiers.

Those old-school stats also have their limitations. Fielding percentage only counts balls a player could get to, so a player with limited range but sure hands could post a good fielding percentage even if another player would have converted more balls in play into outs. Errors are subject to human error by virtue of the official scorer's opinion. The advanced metrics aren't perfect, either, but they can tell us a lot more. In this case, outs above average and defensive runs saved disagree. Wildly.

Neto posted -8 OAA, the fifth-worst mark in the league. He also recorded 13 DRS, the fourth-best performance in this metric among shortstops. There's a difference in how these two metrics are calculated, but usually, they're more or less in agreement. For example, Yoan Moncada posted -13 OAA and -10 DRS, so no matter how you slice it, he was bad defensively.

In this case, understanding how the metrics work is important. Essentially, DRS is based on dividing the field up into zones and giving players credit or dinging them based on how they fare against each ball hit in the respective zones. OAA works differently. The short version is that it uses StatCast data to track how hard a ball was hit, how far a fielder needed to go to reach it, how far he is from the base where the play will occur, and the sprint speed of the base runner. If you're curious to learn more, this video breaks it down very well.

Because of the distance factor, OAA tends to be more accurate for the up-the-middle positions like shortstop and center field, where athleticism matters more than quick-twitch reactions. That doesn't bode well for Neto. Neto's 85.8 MPH throwing velocity grades out just a bit above average, ranking in the 59th percentile, and his range, according to OAA, is severely lacking. This creates a negative value proposition for the youngster on the defensive side of the ball at shortstop specifically.

Unless Neto figures this out, his ceiling is going to be limited to that of a 3-4 win player. That's still very good, but not necessarily a franchise cornerstone. However, if Neto could become even just an average defensive shortstop, you could see him rise to the realm of a consistent 4-5 win player. That would put him among the best in the league and prove that he's a true building block for Los Angeles.

Neto's still young, so there is time for him to figure this out, but the clock is ticking. Range is one of the first things to go as a player ages, and if he doesn't counteract that with some veteran savvy, he might never become a good enough defender to truly become a superstar.