2025 Fantasy Baseball: Nolan Schanuel Profile, Preview, Predictions
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At the back end of fantasy drafts, each game manager will be searching for different pieces of the puzzle to complete their roster. A balanced player with a top-of-the-order opportunity should stand out as a potential value. Nolan Schanuel has a much higher ceiling once his power develops.
Nolan Schanuel leadoff home run! pic.twitter.com/0oaY3ZbMqO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 6, 2024
1B – Nolan Schanuel, LAA (ADP – 312.6)
In his rookie season, I was a big fan of Schanuel due to his free price point and unique skill set for a first baseman. During the year, he had some injury pockets (thumb, calf, back, and lower leg), leading to about 10 missed games. His FPGscore (-2.85) ranked 141st for hitters, giving him three rounds of value this draft season in 15-team formats.
Schanuel finished with a winning approach (strikeout rate – 17.0 and walk rate – 11.2). The Angels gave him 456 of his 519 at-bats in the top three slots in the batting order. After a slow start over his first 208 at-bats (.207/19/7/22 with 17 walks and 43 strikeouts), he was much more comfortable at the plate (.310 over 171 at-bats with 28 runs, five home runs, 19 RBIs, and four steals) while having more walks (32) than strikeouts (30). Besides stolen bases (6), Schanuel was a liability to fantasy teams over his final 140 at-bats (.243/15/1/13).
Left-handed pitchers held him to a .244 batting average with 12 runs, three home runs, and 16 RBIs over 119 at-bats. The Angels ranked 28th in runs scored (635).
His exit velocity (86.1 mph), hard-hit rate (25.3), and barrels (3.5%) won’t excite many fantasy drafters. Schanuel had a ground ball swing path (46.1%) with a reasonable HR/FB rate (10.1).
Fantasy Outlook: Schanuel made the jump to the majors from college with only 74 at-bats of minor league experience. His approach should continue to improve, and Los Angeles will hit him high in their batting order. With a push to a .280 batting average with 80 runs, 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases, he would have the foundation to be a top 60 fantasy hitter with no sexy stats.
I prefer to start him at DH than at the corner infield position in deep formats. Schanuel should outperform his ADPs by a wide margin, but he does need to get stronger to add more pop to his swing.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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