Los Angeles Angels rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe made his return to the club a few weeks ago following a long layoff in his recovery from labrum surgery on his left shoulder.
The 23-year-old backstop made waves with the coaching staff for his forward-thinking prior to the season. O’Hoppe earned a lot of respect from Angels pitchers for wanting to get extra work in, as well.
After a successful recovery and activation to the current roster on August 18, he’s posted subpar numbers. Logging a .145/.217/.291 slash in 60 plate apperances, the lone bright spot is a clean bill of health.
There were initial concerns that surgery on his labrum would sap his power, but four of his eight hits have gone for extra-bases. With an abbreviated rookie season almost wrapped up, O’Hoppe’s continued work with members of the Angels staff are what believes will get him right, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
“I’m trying to just feel back what I felt before,” O’Hoppe said. “The first rehab start I had I really felt out of water. I felt like I hadn’t played baseball before, ever. So working back through it has taken longer than I anticipated. Working with (hitting coach Marcus Thames) a lot. It’s been getting better every day, so hopefully we’ll start piecing something together at the end.”
Results are great, but for a young player returning from injury, process might be more impactful. That is because the Angels are out of playoff contention and Angels manager Phil Nevin has been vocal about wanting the best for his rookie catcher:
“We really wanted to get his legs underneath him catching-wise, but he was swinging the bat so well down there and moving around so good that we just felt it was the right time,” Nevin said. “The offense was gonna come second. We knew that, but I think the at-bats are good. He’s swinging at a lot of the right pitches. He’s gonna chase some. That’s what big guys do and guys who hit the ball out of the park. I think he’s moved it around the field. I really liked his approach.”
O’Hoppe shouldn’t be overlooked in the Angels plans, and with his right-handed stroke out of sorts for the time being, a full offseason will be great.
Logan O’Hoppe named on MLB Pipeline top 100
MLB Pipeline releases a list of their top-100 prospects at multiple times throughout the year, but in their most recent update, the Angels had a singular representative in Logan O’Hoppe, who slotted in at No. 31.
Prior to going on the IL, O’Hoppe posted a .886 on-base plus slugging with four home runs, 13 RBI.
O’Hoppe being the only named on MLB Pipeline’s midseason list only became clear after the team traded away Ky Bush and Edgar Quero in the deal that sent the pair to the Chicago White Sox.
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