ANAHEIM -- After a bit of a slow start both offensively and defensively, first baseman Nolan Schanuel has been one of the most consistent and productive players since the start of May.
Since a three-hit game on May 3, Schanuel has batted .310/.422/.407 with a homer, eight doubles, 10 RBIs and 20 runs scored over his last 32 games, even after going 0-for-4 in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners. He’s been the perfect two-hole hitter for the Angels, making constant contact while taking good at-bats, as even his outs were hit hard in the series finale with a 99 mph flyout to center field in the first inning and a 103.1 mph lineout to right field in the ninth inning.
“I just take it pitch by pitch until I get my pitch,” Schanuel said. “You’re not going to do anything damage-wise if you're swinging out of your zone. And I think that's what I've done a pretty good job this past month and a half. It's been just getting a pitch in my zone to do damage with. Or if I have to take my single the other way, or if I have to walk, take my walk.”
Schanuel, impressively, has walked more than he’s struck out over his recent stretch with 21 walks compared to 15 strikeouts. On the year, he's walked 33 times compared to 33 strikeouts, which is a big improvement from last season when he struck out 103 times and walked 68 times.
“I think I did it the first year I got called up [with 20 walks and 19 strikeouts] and I've done it my whole life, but last year, I don't think I was even close,” Schanuel said. “That's something that I pride myself on, and that's something that I want to do this year. So hopefully, it just continues. The more I get on base, the more times there's RBI opportunities for guys behind me.”
Schanuel has also worked with better bat speed this year, as it’s up 2.8 mph compared to last year, which is the third-biggest improvement in the Majors this season. It hasn’t led to many homers, as he has just three in 61 games, but he does have 13 doubles and he’s among the best in the Majors at controlling the strike zone.
Entering Sunday, his squared-up percentage ranked in the 93rd percentile, his chase percentage was in the 81st percentile, his whiff rate was in the 97th percentile, his strikeout rate was in the 92nd percentile and his walk rate was in the 88th percentile. His average exit velocity still ranked in just the 21st percentile, but it was up from 86.1 mph to 88 mph this year.
“I think the bat speed has helped a lot,” Schanuel said. “I've hit a lot of balls harder than I did last year. It allows me to kind of get to pitches a little deeper, especially if I’m fooled. Like even just fouling balls off at the last second to keep my at-bat alive.”
Schanuel said he’s not worried about hitting homers, especially in his current role batting second between leadoff hitter Zach Neto and superstar Mike Trout.
“I feel like if I can hit 30 doubles and hit a couple home runs, I’m doing my job, especially as a two-hole hitter,” Schanuel said. “My job -- if Neto gets on -- is to get him from first to third or second to third. And if he doesn’t get on, it’s up to me to get into scoring position.”
Angels manager Ron Washington noted that it’s easy to forget that Schanuel is still just 23 years old and that he believes more power will come with time. But for now, he loves the quality of Schanuel’s at-bats and believes he’s only going to get better.
“It's like anything else when you first get started in Major League Baseball,” Washington said. “The more reps you get, the better you become at it. And what you see right now, hopefully he can maintain it and going into next year, you're going to see some more improvement.
"I'm happy to see his aggressiveness out up there. I'm happy to see that now he's able to get the balls in the gaps with some authority to both sides. So every part of his offensive game is starting to come together. And he hasn't even reached his peak yet.”
Washington added that he thinks Schanuel is also developing into an elite defender at first base. The defensive metrics painted a shaky start to the year for him, but it’s been getting better recently, much like last season.
“I see him as one of the better defensive first basemen in league, if you ask me,” Washington said. “He can pick the ball out the dirt as well as anyone. He can get a pop-up with the best of them. His first year here, he was scared of pop-ups. Now, he's a king of pop-ups. He goes to get them everywhere, goes in the stands, goes down the line. It doesn't matter. So he's growing.”