PHILADELPHIA — Logan O’Hoppe believes one of the keys to doing more at the plate is trying not to do so much.
It’s a common notion among athletes in many sports, and one that O’Hoppe is trying to embrace as he looks to get his season turned back in the right direction.
“Looking at video when I’m going good and realizing that I don’t have to swing hard to hit the ball far,” O’Hoppe said Saturday. “I think the harder I swing, the more flat my path gets. To be honest with you, the slower my bat is too, because I’m muscling up instead of just trying to be quick and easy. So that’s helped a lot. I literally told myself to swing 50% in the game. Obviously, it doesn’t turn out that way. You’re swinging as hard as as you can no matter what, but it’s helping me see the ball better, not be in such a rush to make a decision.”
O’Hoppe was reflecting on his progress a day after an encouraging performance. He singled, tripled off the fence and hit a fly ball to the warning track Friday night. All three balls went to center field.
“Even dating back to the past three or four games before the break, it’s the best I’ve felt at the plate in a long time,” O’Hoppe said. “So I’m happy with it. I feel like my takes are better. I’m seeing the ball better … It’s felt pretty night and day at the plate, but the game’s too hard to think you’re in a good spot.”
O’Hoppe hit .275 with 14 homers and an .864 OPS through May 22. After that, he hit .121 with a .311 OPS for a month. In the month since, he’s hit .246 with a .721 OPS.
For the season, that adds up to a .703 OPS. The major-league average OPS is .716. For a catcher, the average is .704.
This trip would be a particularly meaningful time for O’Hoppe to get on a hot streak. O’Hoppe was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018, and he spent the first four years of his career there before he was traded to the Angels.
He considers Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto one of his role models.
“It’s always pretty surreal coming back here and playing against the guys over there,” O’Hoppe said. “Those are guys that I looked up to coming up, and that hasn’t changed. It’s always pretty cool playing against them.”
The trip concludes with three games against the New York Mets. O’Hoppe grew up on Long Island, although he was a Yankees fan.
“It’s not as much of an event as it was,” O’Hoppe said of the trip back to New York. “It’s cool, but we need wins at this point, so that’s what I’ll be trying to do.”
STARTER TBD
The Angels are still considering their options to fill the rotation spot vacated when Jack Kochanowicz was sent down just before the All-Star break. That turn will come Wednesday, the final game against the Mets.
Interim manager Ray Montgomery said one choice would be to do some version of the bullpen game that they did Friday night. The Angels still have right-hander Carson Fulmer and left-hander Jake Eder in the bullpen, and either is capable of pitching five innings.
If they pull someone from Triple-A, the most likely choice would be Victor Mederos, who has a 4.00 ERA at Salt Lake. He gave up seven hits and he issued three walks in four innings Friday.
Right-hander George Klassen, one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Friday night at Double-A. Klassen has 5.86 ERA at Double-A, but his season was interrupted by injuries suffered when he was hit in the head by a line drive. In his last two starts, he’s allowed one run and three hits in 10⅔ innings, with 16 strikeouts.
While Montgomery didn’t rule out Klassen, he did say he didn’t think right-hander Ryan Johnson was an option. Johnson began the year in the big-league bullpen but was sent down to Class-A to get stretched out as a starter. He has a 1.99 ERA in Class-A.
“Given what we’ve done with him and getting him stretched back out, I think it’s probably best for him to keep doing what he’s doing,” Montgomery said.
NOTES
Right-hander Robert Stephenson (stretched bicep nerve) is still throwing. Montgomery said Stephenson has thrown at a distance of 90 feet. …
Jorge Soler was out of the lineup Saturday. Montgomery said Soler is healthy, but they are trying to be “careful” with him coming off the break. …
Mike Trout returned to the outfield for a second straight day of drills. Trout has not played the field since coming off the injured list in late May, but he said he’s hoping to be ready to play right field “soon.” …
Third baseman Yoán Moncada was back in the lineup Saturday, after sitting out Friday’s game against a left-handed starter. Moncada’s right-handed swing is still limited by his knee injury. The Angels face another lefty Sunday, so Moncada is likely to be on the bench again.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP José Soriano, 6-7, 3.90) at Phillies (LHP Cristopher Sanchez, 8-2, 2.50), 10:35 a.m. PT Sunday, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM
