Expert Names Angels Logan O’Hoppe Rookie of the Year Favorite After Fiery Start

Love for the Angels roster all around.

Few rookies in the MLB have been thrust into a bigger role than Logan O'Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels. He was originally expected to share the duties alongside Max Stassi and be brought along slowly but due to Stassi's injury and family matters, he became the youngest catcher in franchise history to get the Opening Day start.

O'Hoppe has been holding it down since then and has been a big reason as to why the Angels are off to a 3-1 start. He is currently slashing .286/.267/.571 and has four hits in 14 at bats. During LA's offensive surge, he's made some big plays and also has been developing keen chemistry with the pitching staff.

His strides and willingness to rise to the occasion on this winning Angels squad have been evident and he's getting a lot of love from the baseball world. Joel Reuter of The Athletic has even slated him as his current favorite for the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year.

Logan O'Hoppe hit his first career homer. It was a 3-run blast. Went 391 feet.

3-0, Angels. pic.twitter.com/kZsHleAmH0

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 2, 2023

When Los Angeles first acquired O'Hoppe, he was immediately deemed their top prospect and his dominance made him a clear candidate to get bumped up from the minor leagues to the main roster.

Even though he was asked to take on a bigger role than originally planned, it appears that it is working out well for both parties. The organization's GM, Perry Minasian, touched how it doesn't always work out for a catcher to transition smoothly in the MLB.

"Catcher is the toughest position to break into the big leagues at, especially on a team that is expected to win." said Pinasian. "There’s so much decision-making, you have to be dependable, reliable, limit mistakes and learn from them. You have to develop the trust of your pitchers. For me, it’s the most important position on a club."

(Via LA Times)

It's going to be a long season and rankings always change but if O'Hoppe continues this level of play, he will definitely remain a favorite and help the Halos win even more games.