These three Angels had an award-worthy June

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- After scuffling through the first two months of the season, the Angels turned the corner in June, going 15-11, including winning a season-high six straight games before their 7-6 loss to the Tigers on Sunday.

Angels manager Ron Washington has preached all season that learning to win is a process, and he believes the young players are making progress in that regard. But he’s also aware his club is 36-47 and will still go through some growing pains despite its recent hot streak. That’s why he reminds his players to never dwell on the previous game and always stay present.

“I told you guys in Seattle [in early June], we're not there yet,” Washington said. “We played all these first-place teams and we hung in there with them. But they got the best of us. We weren’t there yet. And we're still not there yet. When we get there, y'all will know. But we’re playing good baseball. We're doing the things we supposed to do to. Taking care of business every day. When we get there, you're gonna know, but we're not there yet.”

Angels youngsters such as Logan O’Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto have continued to develop, while right-hander José Soriano is set to return on Tuesday and rookie flamethrower Ben Joyce is starting to put it all together in relief.

It was a solid month all around for the Angels, but let’s take a look at the club’s MVP, best starter and best reliever in June:

MVP: C Logan O'Hoppe; runner-up Zach Neto

O’Hoppe, 24, had an incredible June, hitting .324/.363/.608 with five homers, six doubles and 12 RBIs in 22 games. He also came up clutch several times, including hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning on Friday and a game-tying solo shot in the eighth on Saturday. O’Hoppe is now hitting .275 on the year and is looking the part of a potential superstar catcher. He’s already viewed as a leader by his teammates and is emerging as a face of the franchise.

Neto, 23, registered a .781 OPS with five homers, seven doubles and 20 RBIs in 26 games while providing above-average defense at short.

Starter of the month: LHP Tyler Anderson; runner-up José Soriano

Anderson has been the club’s most consistent starter with a 3.03 ERA in 17 starts, and he kept it rolling with a 4.15 ERA in six starts in June, despite giving up a season-high six runs in 4 2/3 innings on Sunday. He has a chance to be an All-Star for the second time in his career and the first time since 2022, while Luis Rengifo also has a solid case with an AL-leading .317 batting average and 21 stolen bases. Anderson remains under contract through next season, earning $13 million in 2025. He could be a trade candidate if the Angels get the right offer, but they also know it would be difficult to replace his production next year.

Soriano, 25, had a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings through two June starts before going on the IL with an abdominal infection.

Reliever of the month: RHP Carlos Estévez; runner-up RHP Ben Joyce

Estévez was absolutely lights out in June, as he threw 10 scoreless innings with a win and eight saves. He retired 29 of the 31 batters he faced, including a stretch of 26 in a row before giving up a two-out single in the ninth inning on Tuesday. He’s posted a 3.00 ERA with 16 saves in 27 innings after a slow start to the season. Estévez, though, is set to be a free agent after the season and could be looked at as a valuable trade chip at the Trade Deadline.

Joyce, 23, posted a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings, including a 0.00 ERA in 9 1/3 innings over his last seven outings.