Schanuel impressed scouts with his natural hitting ability from the left side. With a projectable frame that should add a good amount of muscle in coming years, 

In 2020, before his senior year at Park Vista High School in Lake Worth, Florida, Nolan committed to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. 

After a strong 2021 season with Florida Atlantic, evaluators should feel better about his bat. Schanuel hit .343/.444/.576 with 11 home runs, 11 doubles and more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) and followed that up with an even better 2022 season. In his second year with FAU, Schanuel upped his home runs (16), upped his doubles (17) and hit .369/.477/.658 while walking (39) more frequently than he struck out (22).

In the summer of 2022, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman’s power didn’t fully translate to a wood bat in 27 games with Hyannis in the Cape Cod League. But he maintained his solid strike zone discipline.

Schanuel grew up a stone’s throw from Florida Atlantic University, attending sporting events at the school regularly. After an outstanding high school career in the region, he stayed in his own backyard for college ball and has been raking ever since. A starter from the get-go, Schanuel slashed .357/.462/.619 in his first two years with FAU, positioning himself as one of the better offensive performers, and was one of the nation’s top collegiate hitters during the 2023 season. (July 2023)

July 2023: The Angels chose Schanuel in the first round (#11 overall), out of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. He signed for the on-slot bonus of $5,253,000, via scout Brandon McArthur.

There are quite a few tools that stick out about Nolan Schanuel. The No. 11 overall pick in the MLB Draft hits for power. He blasted 19 homers this year at Florida Atlantic. He plays a good first base, and has the ability to position defensively on the corner outfield. He’s a smart baserunner, successfully stealing 14 times in 15 tries. 

But perhaps his eyes are the one stand-out asset for the Angels’ first-round selection. He’s a walk machine. His walk rate was 24.6 percent. And his strikeout rate was just 4.8 percent. A gaudy difference.

The reason for his monster season came down to a diagnosis in January of this year. He was told he had astigmatism in his right eye. Astigmatism is when the eye is curved differently. It had hampered his vision, particularly at night. Getting comfortable as a hitter was as simple as adding a contact.

“It was like the ball was not even in 3D or 4D,” Schanuel said. “Being able to see the spin of the ball directly out of the hand helped me so much.”

The Angels clearly were satisfied with his numbers, and likely picked him because he’s a projectable and polished college hitter. Only three players from the 2022 MLB Draft have debuted in the majors so far. All of them came from the Angels. One of them, Zach Neto, actually knows Schanuel from playing in the South Florida Collegiate League together before college.

Schanuel said he’d play wherever. He was hyper and emotional, noting he broke down in tears when informed that he’d been selected No. 11 overall. In his first conversation with the Angels, he said he was ready to pack his bags immediately and fly out west to sign. 

A college player with an OPS over 1.400 probably won’t be in the minors long if he’s producing at a high level.

“I want to be right there with Zach Neto, Ben Joyce, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani,” Schanuel said. “I’m ready to be a teammate of theirs and get going.” (Blum - Jul 9, 2023 - The Athletic)

MLB DEBUT

Aug 18, 2023: The Angels called up first baseman Nolan Schanuelay. Schanuel, 21, batted .339/.480/.475 in 16 games at Double-A Rocket City. He previously played five games across the Rookie league and Single A combined. The Florida native slashed .447/.615/.868 with 19 home runs in his final college season at Florida Atlantic University.

With Schanuel getting called up this far into August, he will not get 45 days of service time or lose rookie eligibility for 2024.

Schanuel is the first position player since Conor Gillaspie in 2008 to make his MLB debut during his draft year. (Blum/Law - Aug 18, 2023 - The Athletic)

Aug 19, 2023: Nolan’s rapid ascent through the Minor Leagues is complete after just 21 games.

Less than six weeks after selecting Schanuel with the No. 11 pick in the 2023 Draft, the Angels called up the left-handed first baseman. The 21-year-old was slotted into the lineup against the Rays at the leadoff position, batting ahead of Shohei Ohtani, and went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one walk. 

“I found out the night before,” Schanuel said from the Angels dugout. “Wasn’t expecting it. I moved pretty quickly to Double-A. Just played the game I love and played it how I was taught to play. I didn’t change anything from what I was doing six months ago in college.”

The rookie had an eventful first game, converting an unassisted double play in the second before walking in his second plate appearance and scoring on Ohtani's grand slam. Schanuel also alertly finished off a rare 6-4-3-2 triple play in the ninth inning of the Angels' 9-6 loss in 10 innings.

“I wouldn’t even say I remember my first at-bat,” Schanuel said with a laugh. “I kind of blacked out. After the double play, the line drive, I snapped out of it and came down to earth. After that it felt normal.” Schanuel said he didn’t sleep at all but did sleep on the flight to Southern California. That was after he made some calls.

“I called my mom, woke her up and she was like, ‘All right, stop messing with me,’" Schanuel said. “My friends were like, ‘Come on, dude, you just got drafted six weeks ago. What are you talking about?’ Took them a little convincing.” But there he was, rounding the bases with Ohtani behind him after Ohtani’s grand slam in the second inning.

“That was amazing. Just to be able to see a ball hit like that from Shohei,” Schaunel said. “That was insane. Watching it go over my head into the stands was even better.”

MLB debut (Aug. 18, 2023): After having a difficult season, the Angels had something to smile about as 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel made his MLB debut just 40 days after being called up to the major leagues.

The biggest factor in the lefthanded hitter’s quantum leap may have been the contact lens he began wearing in his right eye in January.   

“I was struggling during my sophomore spring with seeing at night, and I noticed it throughout the Cape Cod League season,” Schanuel said. “I waited until I got home to go to the eye doctor, and they found out I had an astigmatism in my right eye.”

The 21-year-old was fitted with a contact lens.

“Being able to see the spin of the ball directly out of the pitcher’s hand helped me so much,” Schanuel said. “I think that was a big reason why my walk-to-strikeout ratio was so much better than it was in prior years.”

Schanuel drew 71 walks against 14 strikeouts in 59 games as an FAU junior.

Schanuel’s development also was spurred by the input of first-year FAU hitting coach Ricky Santiago.

“He worked on sinking into my back hip a little more and really focusing on my back knee and the external rotation in that,” Schanuel said. “It helped me stay balanced throughout my whole at-bat and not give away as many at-bats.” (Mike DiGiovanna - BA - Sept. 2023)

Schanuel is the first player from the 2023 Draft to make his MLB debut. His 21 Minor League games are the fewest by any player before a merit-based promotion to the big leagues since 2003, when the Brewers’ Rickie Weeks played in the same number of games prior to his callup.

The second spot on that list was formerly held by another Angel, infielder Zach Neto, a 2022 draftee who arrived in the Majors earlier this year following only 44 games in the Minors. (B Murphy & JP Lopez - MLB.com - Aug 19, 2023)

2023 Season: The season was another one of massive disappointment for the Angels, but they did showcase some exciting young players. Shortstop Zach Neto was the first 2022 draftee to be promoted to the big leagues, and Schanuel was the first promotion from the 2023 draft. The 11th overall draft choice in July surprisingly held his own against MLB pitching, posting an OBP above .400 with outstanding plate discipline. 

Schanuel reached safety in his first 30 major league games, matching Enos Slaughter for the third-longest streak to start a career in American and National League history. Schanuel finished the year hitting .275 with one home run and six runs batted in.

In barely a month as a minor leaguer, Schanuel drew 21 walks and struck out only 10 times. His plate discipline carried over following his promotion to the major leagues, where he drew 20 walks and struck out 19 times.

In 2023, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Nolan as the #1 prospect in the Angels' organization.

Nolan appeared in just 22 minor league games before the Angels called him up on Aug. 18.

He found his first taste of the major leagues to be pretty sweet. Schanuel reached base in all 29 games he played and showed elite plate discipline with a .402 on-base percentage. He hit .275 with one home run.

The Angels were so impressed by Schanuel’s bat-to-ball skills, solid defense and work ethic that they essentially handed him the first base job this winter.

“Nolan has earned the right to have the opportunity to come into camp and compete for the first base job,” Angels GM Perry Minasian said, “but with all of our young players, we understand where they are in their development.

“Some might need a lot more at-bats. Some get off to a good start early, then struggle and come back.”

Schanuel’s career took a dramatic turn when he was fitted for a contact lens to correct an astigmatism in his right eye before his junior year at FAU. (Mike DiGiovanna - Baseball America - Apr 2024)

In 2022, Schanuel struggled in the Cape Cod League. But in 2023 as a junior he raked, leading Division I with a 1.483 OPS. He also hit 19 homers in 59 games.

Schanuel switched from a toe-tap to a leg kick as a college freshman. He holds his hands high above his head in his setup but gets his bat through the hitting zone quickly and efficiently, with minimal extra movement in his swing.

He has more of a hit-over-power profile, but the Angels believe he’ll develop into a 20-homer hitter.

“Knowing him, he’s just never satisfied,” Minasian said. “If you ask him how his month in the big leagues went, he’d tell you it was a good experience and all those things, but it could have been better.

“That’s something we appreciate about him. We want that type of makeup in our clubhouse.” (Mike DiGiovanna - Baseball America - April 2024)

Schanuel holds his hands high above his head in his setup but gets his bat through the hitting zone quickly and efficiently, with minimal extra movement in his swing.

The left-handed-hitting Schanuel has the chance to be at least an above-average hitter. He’s always had an advanced approach at the plate, drawing close to three times more walks than strikeouts over his college career. He’s grown into more power, going from 11 homers as a freshman to 16 a year ago and 19 in his final season. (BA - Spring 2023)

Nolan always seems to walk almost as much as he strikes out.  He’s always had an advanced approach at the plate.

Spring 2023: Schanuel starts with his hands ridiculously high, but he gets ready on time and has a very quick bat that produces a lot of high-quality contact. He rarely strikes out, 7.9 percent in 2022 and 7.3 percent so far this spring, with above-average power and some room to gain more. (Law - Mar 3, 2023 - The Athletic)

Schanuel was one of the most advanced hitters in the 2023 draft class and had the most impressive stat line this spring, posting a .447/.615/.868 line with 71 walks and just 14 strikeouts for FAU.

He didn’t do it against SEC or ACC competition, and there were some questions about whether he had the raw power or contact quality to project as a 25-plus homer guy.

He can definitely hit and has an excellent feel for the strike zone, rarely chasing and rarely missing fastballs anywhere. So while he’s limited to first base, he could still end up an above-average regular in time because of his batting average and OBP skills. (Blum/Law - Aug 18, 2023 - The Athletic) 

2023 Season: Schanuel burst onto the professional scene in 2023, going from a first-round draft pick to starting at first base for the Angels in the span of three months.

Schanuel, who hit 19 home runs and slugged .868 in his junior year at Florida Atlantic, hit one home run and three doubles in his first 29 major league games. That translated to a paltry slugging percentage of .330.

Considering he played only 22 minor league games after being drafted, anything the Angels could get from Schanuel in 2023 was a bonus.

Power wasn't Schanuel's only calling card in college. He had a .615 on-base percentage in 2023, drawing an otherworldly 71 walks compared to just 14 strikeouts.

That's an unthinkable ratio for any player, let alone one who swings with enough power to hit a ball over the fence regularly. Schanuel's plate discipline translated seamlessly to the professional ranks. He drew 20 walks in his 29-game debut, allowing him to reach base in every game.  (J.P. HOORNSTRA - Feb. 1, 2024)

2024 Season: True to form, Schanuel began his MLB career by constantly getting on base. He began his career by reaching base in 30 straight games, a streak that stretched into the beginning of the 2024 season and was the third longest such stretch to begin a career in MLB history.

Schanuel’s first full MLB season in 2024 was solid, as he put up a .250/.343/.362 slash line and 104 wRC+ in 147 games. (Matt Carroll | Jan 27, 2025 - Just Baseball)

Nolan doesn't have the speed to play center field. So he will need to develop power to profile in left field or right field.

An average runner, Schanuel played first base almost exclusively for FAU. While some scouts think he’s athletic enough to handle an outfield corner, where he saw some time in the spring, he was playing first base for the Angels at the outset. Wherever he goes defensively, his advanced bat should enable him to move quickly to Los Angeles. (BA - Spring 2024)