Angels select slugging 1B Nolan Schanuel No. 11 overall

The Angels continued their recent trend of drafting a highly developed college player with their first selection, as they took Florida Atlantic first baseman Nolan Schanuel with the 11th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The selection, which is the Angels’ lone pick on Day 1 of the Draft, carries a slot value of $5,253,000.

Schanuel had a dominant season offensively, upping his Draft stock this spring by producing one of the more outrageous slash lines you will see in Division I baseball: .447/.615/.868. Those numbers ranked second, first and second, respectively, in the nation. Schanuel had more home runs (19) than strikeouts (14). He walked 71 times, which tied LSU’s Dylan Crews for the most in D-I.

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The Angels believe he’s close to Major League ready, which fits the mold of shortstop Zach Neto, who was their first-round pick last year and reached the Majors this season and right-hander Sam Bachman, who was their first-rounder in 2022 and is currently in their bullpen. Notably, all three players came from mid-major programs, as Neto played at Campbell and Bachman pitched at Miami (Ohio).

“We took a look at a lot of players and in the end, Nolan did a lot of things that we really liked and we really wanted,” said scouting director Tim McIlvaine. “He’s got power. He can hit. He knows the zone. He’s really patient. He rarely ever strikes out, took a lot of walks this year and had a lot of extra-base hits.”

Schanuel said he became emotional when he got the call that he was drafted by the Angels and showed off his knowledge of the organization by rattling off the names of Neto and reliever Ben Joyce, who were both drafted last year and reached the Majors this season.

“When I got the phone call from my advisor that the Angels were taking me with the next pick, I burst into tears,” Schanuel said. “This has been a lifelong dream of mine and to be able to be in the Angels' organization now has just made that dream 10 times better. I'm so excited. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to fly out today.”

The No. 26 Draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Schanuel could sign for under-slot to save money for later picks but has always had an advanced feel for hitting, batting better than .400 throughout high school. But his power didn’t blossom until after high school, thanks to a change in his approach at the plate.

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The 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter has a unique setup in the batter’s box, beginning in a very upright position and with his hands positioned above his head. As the pitch is delivered, Schanuel uncorks a high leg kick, bringing his right leg almost up to his waist, before striding toward the pitch.

“It’s similar to Zach Neto’s and it’s something I incorporated in college to unlock more power,” Schanuel said. “In high school, I did a toe tap and felt myself swaying back and forth and leaning for pitches. And once I eliminated that and went to the leg kick, I immediately found the power and more balance.”

After hitting just one home run as a high schooler, he launched 11 homers as a college freshman. That total increased to 16 and then 19 over the past two seasons. This spring, he racked up 41 extra-base hits in 59 games.

He also credited better vision for his success this year, as he was diagnosed with astigmatism in his right eye in January and now wears a corrective contact lens.

“It was like the ball was in 4-D, not even 3-D, that’s how much more it was poking out,” Schanuel said. “I could see the spin of the ball directly out of the hand [and it] helped me so much. And I think that was a big reason why my walks to strikeout ratio went up.”

Schanuel played most of his games against mid-major competition in Conference USA, but he did fine work against some of college baseball’s top teams, too. He went 12-for-21 with seven home runs this season in games against the national runner-up Florida Gators and the nationally ranked Miami Hurricanes. That includes a three-homer night versus the Gators on March 7.

Although he stole double-digit bases in 2022 and ‘23, Schanuel is an average runner with 45-grade speed, per MLB Pipeline. He said he believes he can be a utility player defensively but McIlvaine said they’ll try him at first base initially.

“He’s athletic enough to run around in the outfield but we’re going to start off at first base,” McIlvaine said. “Maybe this fall we’ll introduce him to the outfield.”