"Mike Trout has built a close relationship with me and Zach Neto" - Logan O'Hoppe opens up about friendship with superstar Angels teammate
Mike Trout may have spent significant time on the injured list recently, but his influence on the Los Angeles Angels' lineup remains strong. The three-time AL MVP continues to inspire younger players, with young catcher Logan O'Hoppe the latest to acknowledge his contributions.
On Tuesday's episode of "The Mayor's Office with Sean Casey," Casey asked O'Hoppe how he felt about sharing the clubhouse with a modern-day legend like Trout.
"He's an unbelievable human, he works his butt off, and I'm excited to watch what he's going to do staying healthy for a full year," O'Hoppe said. "At first, you walk into the clubhouse, you're like, 'Wow, this is unbelievable to watch this,' and as the years have gone on, he's built such a close relationship with me, Zach Neto and the other young guys.
"It's been a friendship that I'm really grateful for and I learn a lot being friends with him obviously and I'm grateful that I have it because it's something I wouldn't get anywhere else." [33:20]
Neto and O'Hoppe made their full-season debuts in 2023 and have since been one of the mainstays in the Angels lineup. With Shohei Ohtani gone and senior players like Trout injured, they took the burden of the hitting. Neto hit .249 with 23 home runs, while O'Hoppe went at .244 with 20 homers.
Los Angeles Angels steadily rebuilding around players like Logan O'Hoppe and Zach Neto
The Angels have been busy this offseason. They have added arms to their pitching staff, including Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks. They also successfully got Travis d'Arnaud for a two-year deal as a back up to O'Hoppe. Zach Neto underwent a surgery in his right shoulder and is unlikely to be on the Opening Day lineup, however, once he returns the Halos will be at their best.
In an interview with MLB.com in October, Angels owner Arte Moreno said:
“We have some young players and more depth than we’ve had. And we’ll have even more depth in ’26. When you’re looking at ’25, you’re looking at a combination of ’25 and ’26. What we have to do is do things in ’25 to be as competitive as we can, but we also want to do things to enhance ’26 so we’ll be deeper.”
The Angels are trying to bounce back from a season where they lost 99 games. They finished last in the AL West and are effectively trying to find a replacement for Shohei Ohtani in the lineup.