A 54-Year-Old Angels Record is On the Brink of Falling

Will the record be broken?

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

With a home run in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto is now on the brink of breaking a franchise record that has stood for 54 years. Neto has 19 home runs on the season — three short of the most home runs in a season by an Angels shortstop.

“That’s just what we’re all about,” Neto said, via MLB.com's Jackson Stone. “Putting together quality at-bats, moving guys when we need to. We were leading early in the game, and they were out-hitting us big time. It doesn't matter how many hits we got, it's just a matter of timely hitting, you know, moving guys over when we need to and just producing runs.”

The record is currently held by former Angels shortstop Jim Fregosi, who set the team's record with 22 home runs in 1970. Fregosi was a six-time All-Star, is part of the Angels' Hall of Fame, and had his number retired by the franchise.

Most home runs in a single season by a shortstop in franchise history:
Jim Fregosi - 22 HR in 1970
Zach Neto - 19 HR in 2024 https://t.co/Ygp1bLUuAW

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) August 21, 2024

Neto is currently on a hot streak, having hit home runs in back-to-back games for the second time this month. He already has six home runs in August, and has 40 games left in the season to try and break the record.

“He’s a stud, man,” starting pitcher Tyler Anderson said. “He’s a really good player, and he’s grown a lot this year. I’m excited to watch his continued growth.”

Neto has continued to develop quickly since the Angels promoted him to the majors in April 2023, becoming the first player in his draft class to do so. After appearing in 84 games his rookie season and slashing .225/.308/.377 with 65 hits, 38 runs, nine home runs, and 34 RBIs, Neto has improved on all those totals.

This season, the 23-year-old has appeared in 122 games. He's slashing .265/.327/.466 with 111 hits, 57 runs, 19 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and 63 RBIs. While he has played in more games this season, Neto has already more than doubled his home run total and quadrupled the amount of bases he has stolen.

He is on a good pace to break the franchise home run record for stolen bases, but even if he doesn't this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him do so in the future given his fast ascent.

Fregosi is perhaps most famous in Angels history for being the centerpiece in a trade to the New York Mets that brought future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan to Anaheim.