The Los Angeles Angels have — not by design — become somewhat of a tanking team this season. Early injuries to Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon have put the franchise’s young cornerstones — Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Jo Adell — at the forefront of the production in the opening months of 2024. That was on full display against the Houston Astros on Monday night.
The Angels knew there would be inconsistencies with their four main young pieces, as is always the case with developing Major League talent. Schanuel, for one, has struggled with power and has not been able to repeat the same on-base prowess he showed last season. Neto, meanwhile, is improving but slowly and steadily.
It all came together on Monday, though. Schanuel kicked things off with a three-run homer in the fifth inning to cut the Angels deficit from five to two runs. Four batters later, O’Hoppe responded with his own three-run blast to give the Angels a one-run lead. Adell followed it up in the very next at bat with a solo home run. And Neto, to lead off the sixth inning, added one more for good measure in a 9-7 Halos victory.
The run of homers was not only a huge sigh of relief for fans who want the team’s young players to take the next step, it was also historic in its own right. It was the first time in Angels franchise history that four players 25 or younger homered in the same game. It was the first time in AL/NL history that a team received four homers from a 25, 24, 23 and 22 year old in the same game.
The Angels catcher O’Hoppe, who has been perhaps the most consistent of the young bunch, spoke about what the accolade meant for the four, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“It was pretty cool,” O’Hoppe said. “I didn’t realize it until after the fact. None of us have said it out loud, but I feel like all of us internally had been waiting for a moment like that for a little while.”
Angels manager Ron Washington did not want to get overly excited about Monday’s barrage from the young four, but saw it as a potential sign of things to come.
“I wouldn’t call it a coming out party, I just call it growing up,” said manager Ron Washington. “We’re starting to figure things out. We really didn’t try to do too much, and we ended up doing a lot. So that’s what it’s about. We’re showing some resiliency and we’re figuring it out. The hard work is paying off.”
If O’Hoppe, Neto, Adell and Schanuel can make a habit out of being productive all at once, the Angels become a team with a very interesting young core very quickly. Piecing it all together has been a challenge, but Monday provided a glimmer of hope for the franchise moving forward.
Angels win four of five for first time since early April
The Angels defeating the Astros on Monday gives them four victories in their last five outings. This is the first time they’ve accomplished this feat since winning four in a row and five of six from March 31 to April 6.
