Angels' Young Star Projects As 2028 U.S. Olympian: Report

Sam Garcia | Aug 17, 2024

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball is one of the five sports being added to the Olympic program at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Along with softball, lacrosse sixes, flag football, T20 cricket, and squash, the addition of baseball opens up a whole new can of worms. Who will be featured on the roster?

The last time baseball was included in the Olympic Games was at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Team USA’s roster consisted of 12 position players and 12 pitchers. Due to MLB season occurring simultaneously with the Summer Olympics, only players who were not listed on a 40-man roster were eligible for Team USA. This could explain why the American baseball team has not won an Olympic gold medal since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The Athletic’s Eno Sarris, Brittany Ghiroli, and Stephen J. Nesbitt formulated a 26-player potential roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which selected a young Angels’ star for the backup catcher position. 

Logan O’Hoppe, 24, has been the starting catcher for the Angels this entire season, making 95 starts at the position. By the time the 2028 Olympics roll around, the New York native will be 28-year-old, which makes him a young choice for the Olympic roster. 

This season, O’Hoppe is slashing .250/.315/.428 along with two career-highs 16 home runs, 13 doubles, and 46 RBIs. He’s accumulated 94 hits, 50 runs, and 157 total bases. When he hit his 15th homer on July 31, O’Hoppe became the first Angels catcher to hit 15 home runs since Mike Napoli hit 17 in 2009. Now, he is one homer away from tying Napoli’s record.

Defensively, his 2.03 pop time ranks sixth among MLB catchers. His estimated caught stealing (15) is tied for first with Mariners’ Cal Raleigh.

The Orioles’ Adley Rutschman was the unanimous decision for the starting catcher. He was the first overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft and has been selected for the American League All-Star team for two consecutive seasons. The 26-year-old will be 30 when the next Olympics arrive, which means he will still be a relatively young choice. The Oregon State product is also a switch-hitter, adding versatility to the batting lineup. 

The other candidates for the Athletic’s backup catcher position included Raleigh, Giants’ Patrick Bailey, Dodgers’ Will Smith, and Padres’ No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas. 

There are still four more years for any of these candidates, or even one not mentioned by the Athletic, to claim a spot on the Olympic roster.