When you hit over .400 for your career in college it’s going to grab some attention. That’s what Zach Neto did while playing for Campbell. As a freshman he hit .200, but that came in three games in 2020 before the rest of the season was cancelled. In 2021 he hit .405 and this past season he hit .407. And he did so while showing plenty of power and playing shortstop.
Zach Neto Scouting Report
Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 185 lbs
Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Position: Shortstop
Highest Ranking: 16th (Baseball America)
A 5-tool player who may not truly jump off of the page at you in any given area, but is good or better across the board is probably a good way to describe what Zach Neto brings to the table. Defensively there’s some debate as to whether it’s better to keep Neto at shortstop or maybe slide him over to second base due to his range that is solid but unspectacular. His arm plays fine anywhere on the field.
At the plate he’s crushed the ball while at Campbell and he walked more often than he struck out, and in 2022 he had 20 more walks than strikeouts. With that said, his mechanics aren’t typical as he employs a large leg kick that may need some changes as a professional. He projects to hit for both average and some power, with 20-ish home runs not being out of reach for him.
College Stats
| Year | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .333 | .200 |
| 2021 | 213 | 70 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 30 | .405 | .488 | .746 |
| 2022 | 256 | 81 | 23 | 2 | 15 | 19 | 39 | 19 | .407 | .514 | .769 |
| Total | 475 | 152 | 40 | 5 | 27 | 31 | 56 | 49 | .403 | .500 | .751 |
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Basic Information
The 2022 Major League Baseball Draft will begin on July 17th and end on July 19th, taking part over a three day period of time. The Cincinnati Reds will have selections 18, 32, 55, and 73 in the first two rounds of the draft. Despite not selecting in the top five, or even the top 10, the Reds have the 8th largest bonus pool allotment to work with due to their compensation pick from losing Nick Castellanos in free agency, as well as a competitive balance round B pick (73rd) that adds a lot of additional pool money.
You can see all of the scouting reports in the series by clicking here.
You are picking some interesting draft candidates. What are the odds they’ll actually still be available by the time the Reds pick?
The *plan* is to cover every prospect rated between 11-30 in the cumulative rankings (and maybe more if there’s time, or if the Reds are linked to someone that doesn’t fall in that range) between now and the draft. Some of them won’t be there for the Reds, but I’m trying to cover as many of the bases as possible.
Thanks Doug I have always appreciated your site. You provide a wide range of information and update us everyday of the week. Your site is a must read for true baseball fans.
Thanks Doug. Appreciate your efforts. Keep’em coming
It sure would be nice if/when teams can trade draft picks.
Zach Neto looks very nice for a #1 draft pick to the Reds
This is my favorite player in the draft. Excellent college statistics, excellent wooden-bat Cape Cod statistics, and performed well against the #1 rated Tennessee team in the college playoffs this year. He probably won’t be there when we pick but if he is, I would hope the Reds would pull the trigger. He is a future Trea Turner.
Not sure he has Turner’s speed or range at SS. But he could be a powerhouse 2B, and that would be fine by me.
With all of the shifting, many teams are having the SS cover the primary defensive zone, anyway. Remember Javy Baez (who I do not miss at all) throwing out base runners at first from medium right field?
So it’s a big, big plus if he is adequate from SS, while the better glove and arm flip flops to the 2B side of the bag given the shift. Maybe a Farmer type defensive profile but primary at 2B.
Actually he sounds a lot like Matt McLain. Or Carlos Jorge down in AZ if you read his previous-signing profile. Or this other guy, blast from the past, Justin Turner.
I’m curious how legit Neto’s power numbers are in the Big South.
Campbell had half a dozen hitters who racked up 12+ HR’s (Neto was 3rd on his team with 15 of them).