Zach Neto’s journey from Campbell leader to 1st-round MLB Draft pick
Editor’s note: The Los Angeles Angels selected SS Zach Neto with the 13th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17.
BUIES CREEK, N.C. (BVM) – For anyone that keeps up with MLB Draft prospects, Zach Neto has become a household name. In just about every mock draft, the Campbell shortstop slots in somewhere in the first round. But before Neto became a two-time Big South Player of the Year, he was just a kid from Miami looking for a place to play.
With Neto holding a couple of offers out of high school, he fell in love with everything about Campbell when he visited.
“They sold the school to me in a very honest matter,” Neto said. “They told me what they were going to upgrade and what I was going to do when I first got there. It was probably the best decision of my life picking Campbell. It’s helped me become the better person and the better player that I am today.”
Transitioning to one of the largest cities in America to Buies Creek, North Carolina, took some time to adjust, but the strong community of just under 3,400 people made Zach feel at home.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Neto said. “They showed me the culture that Campbell brought and the history behind it.”
When Neto arrived on campus, he only made three appearances as a freshman during the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season. He relied on his peers to help strengthen his mental focus.
“I definitely got humbled when I got here,” Neto said. “I had to step back and see the situation. Thank God for my teammates being there to help me through it. They made it a lot easier and kept making me love the game like how I always grew up loving it.”
This allowed Neto to come into the 2021 season stress free and to just be himself out on the diamond. And his numbers showcased this.
Neto hit .405, coming in as the 13th best in the country and slugged .746, 10th best in the country. This resulted in him winning his first conference player of the year award.
“Once I knew it was for the team and not for myself, it made it easier for me,” Neto said. “It made me go out there and have fun all the time. At the same time, having a lot of swag on the field and bringing a lot of energy. My teammates feed off of that energy. I’m trying to get things going to where my teammates are having fun and not thinking about whether it was their last at-bat or their last outing. Just being able to clear their mind as soon as possible.”
After Neto’s fantastic year is when he started emerging as a top draft prospect. But for Neto, he prefers to keep the mentality of being himself that gave him success in the first place.
“Focusing on that is just not going to get me to where I want to go,” Neto said. “I just have to know what I’ve got to do. That’s staying in between the lines, play the game that I play, and just having fun out there showing all of the scouts and fans who I am and what I’m capable of.”
Following his season at Campbell, he was invited to the 2021 Cape Cod League where all of the top prospects get a chance to further increase their stock. Neto continued to make a name for himself while being a vital cog to a championship for the Brewster Whitecaps.
Neto hit .304 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 16 games.
“It’s a memory I’ll always have,” Neto said. “It was pretty much a dream come true. There were 10 other really good teams there with a lot of good players. Our team being able to win it all and having those good relationships and culture that we had is definitely something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Neto continued to rake this season when he returned to Buies Creek, hitting .394 and slugging .776, winning his second conference player of the year award.
With his time at Campbell coming to a close, Neto is looking to see how far a Miami kid can help take a baseball program in North Carolina in the 2022 postseason. After that, he wants to make everyone around him proud by getting to the major leagues quickly and healthy.
“I just want my parents to be able to come out and watch me,” Neto said. “For them to see the little boy that they raised as a player and as a man. Just being able to see me play in front of a big league crowd in a big league stadium is going to drop their heart for sure.”
