Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe of Sayville returns to Yankee Stadium as a trusted pro
Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe returns to the dugout after grounding out against the Yankees during the third inning of an MLB game at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
He may not have lived out his childhood dream of wearing the pinstripes, but still every trip to Yankee Stadium — as an opponent — remains a significant event for Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
As a kid growing up in Sayville, he cheered for the Yankees and coveted every trip with friends or family to the cathedral in the Bronx. Nothing will match that first big-league game at the ballpark in 2023 when it seemed like half the town bought seats in Section 235 to see his Stadium debut. But even on his 10th trip to the visiting clubhouse, for Monday’s opener of a four-game series, it felt special.
“It’s more special than other ballparks,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s more special for me because I came here growing up and have a lot of core memories. As a kid growing up here, it was surreal [and] every time I walk into this clubhouse and don’t take a second of it for granted.”
O’Hoppe went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in an 11-10 loss to the Yankees on Monday.
Baseball has taken the kid off Long Island, but nothing is taking Long Island out of the kid. Though he spends his seasons in sunny California, O’Hoppe said Island living is what he really wants.
“I’ve been back home with my parents during the offseasons, but in the next year or two, I’ll be getting a house out there,” O’Hoppe said. “I’ll never leave. I will be in New York. I’ll raise my family here and I’ll never leave.”
He explained that it would be easy to explain his dedication to the Island by talking about the foods here that he loves. But it’s about much more than ordering the Pork Chop Martini at Robke’s in Northport, a slice of barbecued chicken pizza at Saviano’s in Bohemia or a breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen in Smithtown.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be a lot of places in my 26 years of life and everywhere I’ve been — and I’ve been in some cool spots — it’s not like being here,” O’Hoppe said shortly before joining about a dozen guests, including his parents, on the field before batting practice. “Every time I come back, I just know that this is where I’m meant to be and where I’m going to be for the rest of my life after this game.”
Another place that O’Hoppe believes he was meant to be is behind the plate for the Angels. Entering Monday’s game against the Yankees, he led all of the majors in innings caught. He envisions being an iron man behind the plate, catching “140 or even 150 games,” where most starting catchers are behind the dish for around 120 each season.
“I don’t think there’s a number that I would put on it,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I told him . . . ‘there’s not a number that we’re going for — it’s about how you’re feeling.’ We take it day-to-day. If you feel good, you play.”
On the surface, it wouldn’t seem that O’Hoppe is off to one of the fast starts at the plate that he is known for. Before this season, O’Hoppe batted .273 with 14 home runs in 67 games played in March and April. Entering play Monday, he was hitting .233 and hadn’t hit a homer. But those numbers don’t tell the entire story. He brought in a .358 on-base percentage.
“I’ve been walking a lot more and have much better takes,” he said. “I feel like I’m seeing the ball really well and I know how valuable getting on for my teammates is. The numbers may not show it, but if I keep doing what I am doing, they will come.”
Suzuki was on the Angels’ roster when O’Hoppe got his first taste of the big leagues and has been so impressed with his development, he began this season by entrusting him with making more decisions and in-game adjustments.
“It’s development and there’s no way to learn unless you go through come tough stretches so we just told him, ‘We trust you. You work your butt off, you study . . . Just go out there and go out there and do what you feel in your gut and trust your gut,’ ” Suzuki said. “He’s a smart guy. He does a lot of homework, he cares. He does everything you want. He does everything that you want a catcher to do.”
And O’Hoppe is enjoying the opportunities that have come with that trust.
“You have the fluidity to be creative with different game plans,” he said. “I find it easier to make in-game adjustments than it has been in the years past. And I think it’s big for a lot of guys.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
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