TEMPE, Ariz. — Logan O’Hoppe drove himself crazy at times during a forgettable 2025 season.

O’Hoppe, who has been considered among the Angels’ promising young core of players, was often a mess at the plate and behind it.

The catcher finished the season with a .213 average, .629 OPS and 19 homers, only two of which came in the second half.

Now, the 26-year-old is starting fresh, at the end of what he described as a winter of education about himself.

“I learned a lot about my swing,” O’Hoppe said Thursday. “I really got back to doing what I did in high school, really when I felt most comfortable in the box. It’s exciting. I feel like I’m not only moving better, but understanding what I need to do every day to get everything in the right place instead of just going to the cage with a certain cue that day and hoping it works when 6:30 comes.”

O’Hoppe said one of the other lessons of the winter was that his workouts needed to be restructured, to build toward a game.

“Making sure I wasn’t cooking myself too early in the day,” O’Hoppe said. “Not having too heavy a workload early and then sitting around and doing nothing, and then going back for another heavy workload. That took a lot out of me.”

All of that may sound the typical spring training talk from a player looking to rebound from a disappointing season.

Everyone is optimistic in February. It remains to be seen what will happen when the season begins.

“I think he’s going to have a great year,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “I’m bullish on Logan. I think obviously he struggled last year. We all know that. It’s tough, young player, especially at that position. You see a lot of catchers hit their stride in their mid-20s. It takes a little time. There’s a lot of responsibility at that position. Game calling, preparation, all those types of things. Knowing the man, he’s somebody that puts a lot on himself. He has high expectations, and he’s had an outstanding offseason mentally and physically. I’m very, very excited to see how he helps us win games this year.”

The Angels still view O’Hoppe as a key piece to their long-term plan. A young catcher who can hit in the middle of the order is a valuable asset for any team.

O’Hoppe certainly seemed to be on his way to filling that role when he hit 14 homers with a .796 OPS in just 51 big-league games in 2023. That season was interrupted in the middle by shoulder surgery.

He’s since played two full seasons, and his performance has gone the wrong way. In 2024, he produced a .712 OPS that included a significant slump in the final two months.

Last season, the slump started in June.

As the Angels try to get more out of O’Hoppe, they’ve surrounded him with players who can guide him toward being an effective catcher and leader. Former catcher Kurt Suzuki is the new manager, and former catcher Max Stassi is the catching coach. The Angels also still have veteran Travis d’Arnaud as O’Hoppe’s backup.

O’Hoppe said having Suzuki as the manager is “awesome.” Suzuki had been a special assistant to the GM for the past three years, so he still had some contact with O’Hoppe.

“It’s just nice to walk around and have him here, to be with him day in and day out,” O’Hoppe said. “He was here the past couple years, but not to the extent that he is now. I’m happy that we got him every day.”

Suzuki said O’Hoppe is “doing a great job” of building trust with the pitchers and becoming the leader the Angels expect.

“It’s not always about your stats defensively,” Suzuki said. “It’s about how you communicate with pitchers, how you make them feel on the mound, when they’re not feeling the greatest can you get them through those games, right? That’s where I always felt like the money came from: getting the pitchers through a game when they didn’t have their best stuff, which is a lot.

“People aren’t going to feel great all the time. Getting the pitchers through a game when they’re having a tough time, working together, that’s what brings a lot of joy to catchers.”

CUTTING K’S

The Angels’ batters led the majors in strikeouts in 2025, so reducing that number is one of the jobs for new hitting coach Brady Anderson. Suzuki said Anderson is already “putting some things together” with regard to an improved approach for the hitters.

“It’s a mindset,” Suzuki said. “When we played, when Brady played and when I played, there was a mindset of not striking out, battling. Taking what the pitcher gives you. These guys are a hundred times more talented than I was. The stuff they do on the field is special. I think Brady’s working with them mentality wise and having the right mentality to go up there and work on those things.”

NOTES

Outfielder José Siri completed his physical and was in camp Thursday. Siri signed a minor-league deal. …

Suzuki has been watching the first couple days of bullpen sessions from behind the catchers, which is unusual for a manager. It’s a comfortable spot for Suzuki, though. “I kind of lived back there in that squat,” Suzuki said. “I just like to see or feel the ball coming into the catcher. What it sounds like. What it looks like. The ball was coming out really good from everybody.”