Zach Neto

2026 Fantasy Baseball Player Profile

Zach Neto’s 2025 campaign was a breakthrough performance that established him as one of the premier power-speed threats at the shortstop position, despite being bookended by significant injury stints. His season debut was delayed until mid-April as he completed his recovery from right shoulder surgery, and he was forced to miss the final two weeks of the year due to a left hand strain. In the 128 games between those ailments, Neto slashed .257/.319/.474 and became the first infielder in Angels history to record back-to-back 20/20 seasons. He finished the year with 26 home runs, 62 RBI, and 26 stolen bases, driven largely by a massive leap in his quality of contact; his barrel rate soared to 14.0%, nearly doubling his rookie mark. While his 26.9% strikeout rate remained a point of concern for his batting average ceiling, his 117 OPS+ and 3.1 bWAR made him the clear statistical leader for a struggling Angels roster.

Entering 2026, Neto is viewed as a consensus top-ten fantasy shortstop with a high-ceiling projection that suggests he is on the verge of a 30/30 season. He reported to spring training in Tempe at full health, recently signing a one-year, $4.15 million contract to avoid arbitration in his first year of eligibility. Most major projection systems, including ZiPS and Steamer, anticipate a significant jump in his counting stats as he takes over the permanent leadoff role in Anaheim, with ZiPS forecasting a baseline of 28 home runs and 26 stolen bases with 95 runs scored. Some aggressive analysts, even project him to reach the 30/30 milestone as he enters his age-25 "peak" season. His fantasy draft stock has settled into the early third round with a consensus ADP of approximately 35.0.