Sayville’s O’Hoppe thrives in the MLB

Los Angeles Angels’ catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who grew up in Sayville and attended St. John the Baptist High School, is thriving in his third major league season. He has 94 hits in 101 games with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs.

The Sayvillian has 13 doubles, a triple, 157 total bases, and has scored 50 runs. He ranks fifth in MLB amongst catchers in OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and batting average. Behind the dish, the SJB grad has thrown out 24 runners attempting to steal a base, which is second most in baseball, and his fielding percentage is .993.

The Angels’ receiver, who grew up a big Yankee fan, made his return to East 161st Street and River Avenue in The Bronx for the first time since last April. Last year, O’Hoppe suffered a shoulder injury during a matinee last spring and only played 51 games last season.

This year, O’Hoppe is fully healthy and continues to make heads turn due to his dazzling play on the diamond. Twenty-four-year-old O’Hoppe is becoming the nucleus of the team. He has established himself as one of the leaders of the team, with Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon missing most of the season due to injuries, and the Angels organization plans to build a team around young players such as himself to wear the red and white and carry the club for years to come.

A double-header was played on Aug. 7, due to a washout on the Aug. 6. Batting third in the opening game of the twin bill, O’Hoppe struck out. In the top of the third, O’Hoppe  flew out to Oswaldo Cabrera at second base, then struck out in the fifth. In the seventh frame, he smacked the ball right on the screws and the ball caromed to deep center, but Trent Grisham tracked it down for the out; then in the ninth, he hit a screeching grounder that was ticketed to right field, but Oswaldo Cabrera made a diving stop and threw to first to retire O’Hoppe for the 27th out.

The Yankees defeated the Angels in Game 1, 5-2, and the South Shore native spent all nine innings behind the dish maintaining the catching duties. In game two of the two-night doubleheader, the Sayvillian was the designated hitter, and the Angels beat the Yankees 8-2. He struck out in the first and second inning. In the fourth frame, O’Hoppe flew out to Aaron Judge in centerfield. O’Hoppe  struck out in the sixth and ninth.

On Thursday evening, the Halos receiver spent all nine innings behind the plate. In the first inning, he slapped a sharp line drive to third base, which nestled into the glove of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and flew out to Juan Soto in rightfield in the triadic frame. In the fifth, on a 3-2 count, O’Hoppe walked, then a couple batters later scored the Angels’ fifth run of the evening on a bases-clearing double by Jo Adell. In the sixth, the Sayville native flew out to second base and in the eighth he grounded out to shortstop. The Angels won the rubber game of the series 9-4.

O’Hoppe did a pre-game press conference with the media at Yankee Stadium celebrating his father Mike being cancer-free for two years after a stem cell transplant, and he spoke about how grateful he is of his father and the tremendous impact he has had in his life.

SCN: Talk about how your dad has been an influence since growing up playing ball to today.

O’Hoppe: Yeah, he’s taught me how to play the game. We have a cage in the backyard and we’re out there all the time. So, he’s the one who laid the groundwork for my career and how I wanted to do it. So, I’m very grateful for him.

Yankees’ catcher Austin Wells on his thoughts on the rising phenom O’Hoppe:“I got to play against Logan in the minor leagues, so getting to see him do really well in the big leagues on the other side of the field is really cool for me and I’m sure for him, too,” said Wells. “Just playing against him is a lot of fun, and he’s a great talent and he’s a good leader on that side of the field. And I enjoy watching him play.”

Stats were last updated as of Monday, Aug. 12.