Logan O'Hoppe is addressing his recent struggles at the plate, insisting that fatigue isn't the issue.
The Los Angeles Angels catcher has been one of the busiest players in the league, ranking among the top in games and innings caught. Despite this, he believes his recent slump is due to mechanical issues rather than exhaustion.
O'Hoppe has noticed the positive impact of taking days off. After a couple of days of rest, he returned to the field with renewed energy, hitting well in his first game back.
“I’m starting to grow up a little bit and understand that these days off help,” O’Hoppe told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register after the game on July 31. “I think that two days off in a row definitely did help. I felt pretty good tonight.”
He has caught nearly 950 innings this season, but his batting average has dropped significantly, with a recent stretch of just seven hits in 79 at-bats.
“I’m going back to my old ways and saying (the days off) didn’t play a big part of it,” O’Hoppe said . “I think we hopped in the cage after the game (Sunday). We worked on some things. It felt really different. So that was a good sign. I wasn’t beating my head against the wall like I was in the past month. Just looking to build on it going forward.”
He is slashing .242/.299/.408 with 18 home runs, and a .709 OPS, down from a peak of .826 before the All-Star break.
Despite the challenges, O'Hoppe feels physically fine. He acknowledges that players are expected to be tired at this point in the season, but he maintains that fatigue isn't a factor in his performance.
“You feel things here and there, but we’re supposed to be tired right now,” he said . “It’s September. And no, I didn’t just admit to you that I am tired. Don’t take it there. But I do believe we’re supposed to be tired right now. We’ve been going since January.”
Instead, he credits the team's hitting coaches for helping him identify and correct his swing mechanics.
“They pointed out a lot of things that I didn’t realize had changed over time,” O’Hoppe said . “There was a lot going on. I don’t want to get into the specifics of it, but I’m grateful to them and I’ll keep leaning on them.”
As he works to regain his form, O'Hoppe aims to build on his recent improvements and contribute more effectively to the Angels' lineup during the final stretch of the season.
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