Zach Neto’s 2025 season came with interruptions, but the production in between made a strong impression for fantasy baseball points league managers. His year began late as he worked his way back from right shoulder surgery, delaying his debut until mid-April, and it ended early due to a left hand strain that sidelined him for the final weeks.
When he was on the field, however, Neto emerged as one of the few consistent positives for a last-place Angels club, delivering 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases across 128 games. That blend of power and speed placed him among a short list of middle infielders capable of impacting multiple scoring categories in points formats.
What to Expect from Zach Neto in 2026 Fantasy Baseball
Neto’s offensive profile is built around quality of contact rather than polish at the plate. His strikeout rate sat at 26.9% in 2025, while his walk rate finished at 6.0%, underscoring an approach that still needs refinement. Even so, the underlying batted-ball data supports his fantasy relevance.
Neto ranked in the top 10% of the league in xwOBA on contact and placed inside the top 15% in both barrel rate and expected slugging percentage. That level of loud contact helps offset the strikeouts in points leagues, where extra-base hits carry significant weight.
On the bases, Neto remains aggressive but inefficient. He has been caught stealing 20 times in 81 career attempts, and his sprint speed does not place him among the true burners at the position.
As Neto enters his age-25 season, there is room for improvement in decision-making, especially with a new managerial staff led by Kurt Suzuki that may emphasize on-base skills near the top of the lineup. That could slightly reduce Neto’s green-light opportunities, though the Angels are unlikely to fully rein in one of their most dynamic young players. As a result, another season flirting with a 25-25 or even 30-30 outcome remains within reach.
From a strengths perspective, Neto offers rare power from the shortstop position, strong contact quality, and everyday playing time when healthy. His weaknesses include swing-and-miss tendencies and inefficiency on the basepaths, both of which can cap his weekly ceiling in points formats. For 2026, Neto projects as a volatile but valuable contributor who can swing matchups when the power shows up in bunches.
As far as the shortstop hierarchy for fantasy baseball points leagues, I rank him at Tier 2 under Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson, among others, and higher than Mookie Betts, CJ Abrams, and Jeremy Peña.
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