Zach Neto saying the quiet part out loud may have shut down brewing Angels drama

What could've been some unnecessary drama between Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto and pregame host Bobby Valentine has been nipped in the bud, at least for now. Neto has admitted to a litany of mental mistakes that have cost his team of late, including a late throw that awarded Daulton Varsho of the Toronto Blue Jays a hit, and a play at first base in which he was picked off last Wednesday.

It is Neto's job to make these plays look routine, just as Valentine is employed to comment on them — and the latter did so in a harsh manner on the pregame show last week.

“Attitude filters down from the top, and he’s at the top of the lineup,” Valentine said. “He has a great attitude when he’s playing like Zach Neto and his head was not on his shoulders for the last five months, it was somewhere else.”

How Zach Neto ended Angels beef with Bobby Valentine before it started

To Neto's credit, he took responsibility for his mistake, and even acknowledged Valentine's comments personally.

“That’s just Bobby’s opinion. It’s cool hearing him, seeing how much care he has for me. And I didn’t take it as no diss or anything. I just see how much care he has for me as a person and as a player. I just gotta be better. And I know that, and he knows that, and all the Angels fans know that, my teammates know that. I just gotta keep being myself. I’m starting to feel like myself again and it’s just a matter of, just a matter of time before I start breaking out of here soon and we’re gonna start winning some ballgames," Neto said, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

Neto had a tendency to take his eye off the prize (so to speak) at times early this season. Considering his .218 batting average in just a shade under 200 plate appearances in 2026, Angels fans are right to expect better from him in the effort department. Neto called his inability to nab Varsho at first base a 'mental thing', which is surely something he's working on.

The Angels have bigger concerns than Zach Neto

The AL West race should be wide open for a team like the Angels to take advantage, at least at this point in the season. At six games back and fading fast, Los Angeles has far greater concerns than Neto, who thankfully opted against creating more drama than this organization can afford. Both Perry Minasian and Kurt Suzuki are essentially in a one-year tryout. Mike Trout and Jose Soriano are about the only things that have gone right for the Angels this season.

As Minasian and Suzuki consider their next steps, Neto is arguably their best young player. His response to Valentine shows a maturity beyond his years, and something the rest of the organization could take note of in times of struggle.

Neto's already made six errors this season, and that doesn't count the mental flaws the player himself pointed to after tough losses in the past week. The smart money is on Neto — who has a career .753 OPS and should be a key cog in the Angels future plans — figuring it all out this season, even if there are some bumps in the road.

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