Zach Neto’s parents in awe of their son’s big league rise: ‘Is this real?’
Maggie and Joaquin Neto have watched every minute of the games that their son, Angels starting shortstop Zach Neto, has played since he received his call-up to the big leagues.
Maggie, 52, and Joaquin, 54, live in Miami. They were in attendance to see Zach, 22, make his major league debut April 15 in Boston, but because of work and other obligations, since that series at Fenway Park they have been able to see him play only over television broadcasts, three time zones away.
“The late nights are the ones that kill us because we both wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning to go to work,” Maggie said. “But it’s like, we’re looking at the TV and then all the commentators, they’re talking about our kid. Like, ‘Is this real?’ ”
Angels starter José Suarez leaves after 2 2/3 innings of Sunday’s 16-8 loss with pain in his throwing shoulder. Any potential injury will test the rotation’s depth.
The Angels’ 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night at Angel Stadium was Neto’s 22nd game in the majors, and over the course of the last month, he has made strides.
On Monday, Neto went one for three with a run scored. He reached on an infield single leading off the bottom of the third inning and later scored on Shohei Ohtani’s double. The Angels scored twice in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie, with Brandon Drury hitting a go-ahead triple.
“It’s been awesome, you know,” Neto, who was drafted by the Angels with the 13th overall pick last July, said of his experience so far. “Just keep getting more comfortable every day.”
The defensive efforts of the former standout at Campbell University in North Carolina have not gone unnoticed by the Angels — though he made uncharacteristic mistakes in his previous two games before Monday, trying to play through a cut and bruised middle finger on his right, throwing hand.
During a pitching start by Ohtani on April 21, Ohtani instinctively tried to make a play on a comebacker that bounced over his head, reaching out his glove before retracting it. Neto was right behind Ohtani, and he scooped up the ball, seamlessly turning a double play.
“I pulled my glove back because I trusted that he would be there, make that play, and he sure did,” Ohtani said of Neto in Japanese through an interpreter.
Starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval, who gave up four runs and seven hits and struck out two over 6 1/3 innings Monday, also praised Neto.
“I love the way he plays,” Sandoval said. “The energy, the smoothness of his game. I really enjoy watching him play.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin described Neto’s defense as consistent, his presence creating stability in the infield. His offense — Neto is batting .240 and has an on-base percentage of .329 in part because he has been hit by a pitch seven times, susceptible because he stands close to the plate — is still a work in progress.
On Monday, he hit the ground with his bat after striking out to end the sixth, stranding a runner at first.
“The only time I’ve seen him show any emotion, that’s the first time visibly [in an at-bat], is when he doesn’t help the team,” Nevin said. “It has nothing to do with his personal stuff. And to me, that means a lot.”
Neto’s offensive capabilities are significant to Nevin, who views him as another leadoff batter from the No. 9 spot.
On Friday night, for example, Neto scored the winning run against the Texas Rangers on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th. As part of the celebration, Angels reliever Jaime Barría showered Neto in baby powder. That game finished after 12:30 a.m. in Miami. His parents stayed up to see that as well.
The Angels lost 10-1 to the Texas Rangers on Saturday, but the team is in a first-place battle and believes its depth will help offset adversity.
“They were like, ‘Man, you were 22 before the pitch was thrown. You looked like you were 40-plus after’ because of the powder in my hair,” Neto recalled of his parents’ joke. “It was cool, them being able to stay up that late with that time change. It says a lot about the support system I have back home.”
Sunday is the day Maggie, who works at AT&T, and Joaquin, who works for the United States Postal Service, have as their common day off. They review the Angels’ schedule for the coming week to plan how to watch each game.
Earlier games on the West Coast mean they can go to bed at a normal time. Whoever gets home first will try to get dinner ready before the Angels’ night games. Zach said his parents have even left work early to ensure they can watch the start of each game.
“We calculate everything,” Joaquin said. “It’s priceless being able to sit down in front of a TV and watch your own son play the game. We would love to be there locally to watch the games, but unfortunately it can’t happen just yet.”
Maggie and Joaquin still are trying to map out dates to travel to see their son, and they already have the Angels’ series at Tampa Bay toward the end of the season circled on their calendars.
“Coaching Zach since 4 years old, at that age all the kids wanna be major league players,” Joaquin said. “Being able to see your own son out there, wearing the Angels jersey is like, ‘Wow, his dream did come true.’ ”
Go beyond the scoreboard
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