Is Logan O’Hoppe Really the Angels’ Catcher of the Future?
After a promising start to his MLB career, Logan O'Hoppe has taken a step back over the past two seasons. How long will the Angels continue to view him as their long-term answer behind the plate?
As part of the 2022 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels traded outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for minor league catcher Logan O’Hoppe. This move was triggered by Marsh’s early offensive struggles with the Angels and the club’s dire need for a catcher of the future.
Over the last decade or so before the O’Hoppe era, the Angels relied on veteran catchers or short-term options who were never viewed as part of the club’s long-term plan. This list includes: Jett Bandy, Martin Maldonado, Jonathan Lucroy, Kevan Smith, Max Stassi, plus a bunch of other journeyman backstops.
When the Angels brought O’Hoppe into the organization during the summer of 2022, it was hoped he’d solve the lingering catching problem for the organization and deliver long-term stability at the position. Now five seasons into his Angels tenure, O’Hoppe has looked good at times but ultimately hasn’t delivered the way the club had hoped for. His struggles this and last season have been pretty concerning.
He’s a great person and displays leadership in the clubhouse, but between the combination of his below-average defense and inconsistent offensive showings, he may not be the long-term answer at the catching position. While he’s still just 26 years old, his offensive numbers have declined steadily each year.
Stats were taken prior to play on July 21.
O’Hoppe’s Underwhelming Offensive and Defensive Numbers
When O’Hoppe was acquired from the Phillies in August 2022, he had been playing with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils and was having himself a pretty good season. He had a .275 batting average, .888 OPS, 15 home runs and 45 RBIs. He stayed in Double-A with the Angels while being assigned to the Rocket City Trash Pandas. O’Hoppe remained there until he got the call on September 28 for his major league debut.
After a brief stint with the Angels to end the 2022 season, O’Hoppe was named the Opening Day catcher in 2023, where he went on to put together a solid half-season due to injuries. In just 51 games, O’Hoppe posted a .236/.296/.500 slash line with 14 home runs and 29 runs batted in.
Even though he didn’t get on base at a very high rate, O’Hoppe still managed to be a solid producer in the Angels’ lineup. He built on his 2023 success during the 2024 season when he finally got in a full season at the major league level. O’Hoppe mashed a career-high 20 home runs while raising his batting average to a respectable .244 clip.
Through his first four seasons with the Angels, O’Hoppe’s biggest contribution came in the power department. Now in 2026, he has just four home runs with the All-Star break in the rearview mirror. Over his now five-year career, home runs have honestly been his main source of contribution to the Angels offense. Here’s why.
For his career, O’Hoppe has only managed a .229 batting average, .285 on-base percentage, and a .391 slugging rate — all below-average clips. Outside of his power, he hasn’t provided much offensive value at the plate.
On top of that, his plate discipline hasn’t been very good, as he has struck out at a 28.3% clip while only walking 6.3% of the time.
Zooming into 2026 alone, according to his xwOBA, O’Hoppe hasn’t been average or better offensively at one point this season.
With his underwhelming offensive numbers, O’Hoppe has also been one of the worst defensive catchers in MLB. He’s making it even harder to justify keeping him around long-term if he can’t even be reliable on the defensive end.
It’s not uncommon for a club to name a starting catcher who excels on defense and pitch calling but fails to contribute offensively — Austin Hedges is a great example of this scenario. But right now, O’Hoppe can’t even prove to be good defensively.
This season, he ranks in the bottom two percentile in blocks above average and pitch framing, which are two very important skills for a catcher. He doesn’t have great pop time and isn’t the best at throwing out basestealers, either.
He had seasons where he looked solid defensively, like in 2024, but the last two seasons have been pretty rough for O’Hoppe.
His struggles have become increasingly noticeable this season, and there have been days where he’s looked visibly frustrated on the field. O’Hoppe’s approach at the plate has been questionable at times this season, further signaling that his struggles may be weighing down on him.
Currently, his offensive metrics across the board are not in a good spot, and it’s definitely contributing to his near-career-worst .215 batting average and career-low .585 OPS. It’s really tough to see this decline happen to a player who’s still so young and has been embraced by the fans while also being a respected leader in the clubhouse.
What Does the Future Look Like at Catcher for the Angels?
After going over what’s been going wrong for O’Hoppe, who could the Angels turn to in the future if he continues to stumble?
The organization does have a few promising options who could serve as starting catchers in the future, but they may have to go the free-agent route or make a trade until the following prospects are ready for big-league action.
Juan Flores is currently playing in Double-A after earning a promotion from High-A following a stellar start to the season. While he hasn’t really been known for his hit tool, his offense has taken a nice step forward this season, posting an .821 OPS with 13 home runs between two levels this season. For comparison, his OPS hadn’t topped a .740 mark over his first three seasons.
On top of that, he has excellent defense and should provide a nice boost in that category should he reach the majors.
Just recently, the Angels welcomed two new catchers into the organization via the MLB Draft. They selected Garrett Wright out of the University of Tennessee with their eighth-round selection and went on to draft Adam Agresti in the 11th round out of St. Johns University.
Both showed promising offensive production in college while displaying excellent defense.
Marlon Quintero is another option who’s been with the organization since 2024 as part of that year’s international signing class. The bat isn’t quite there yet, but his defense is superb with great arm strength. He has the potential to be a really good backup catcher with the potential to move into a starting role if his offense can further develop.
While all four of these up-and-coming catchers offer plenty of upside for the future, none of them will be ready this season and probably not for most of next year either. As a result, they wouldn’t be the immediate solution to relieve O’Hoppe of his struggles.
Final Thoughts
If the Angels decide to option O’Hoppe at some point this year, with Tyler Heinemen’s great defense and excellent ability to work with the pitching staff, he’d be the best candidate to slide into the starting catcher role.
Travis d’Arnaud could return to being the backup once he’s activated from the injured list, too. If O’Hoppe is optioned this season, they will likely role with internal options.
If the Angels decide at some point to trade O’Hoppe, move him to a backup role, or keep him in the minors for an extended time, there are a couple of avenues they could take.
This year’s free-agent class features solid names like Tyler Stephenson, Ryan Jeffers, Austin Hedges, and Jonah Heim. All could be solid starting catchers options for the 2027 season if the club decides to move in that direction. Considering the Angels are not going to be buyers at this year’s deadline, this could be their best route to take beyond this season.
For a catching position that has been a weak spot in the lineup for more than 10 years, there comes a point where the Angels need to make tough choices that are best for the team’s future. O’Hoppe could certainly turn things around, but it might be time to start exploring different options at the position.
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Written by
Cade is a recent high school graduate. He currently writes for Just Baseball while also contributing to InsideHalos. He has previous experience writing for Grand Central…