By: Josh Stevens

The South Florida Collegiate League has sent a lot of talent to the MLB. This includes current All-Star Cedric Mullins and a myriad of future talent such as Zach Neto. However, no SFCBL alum has been drafted higher than Nolan Schanuel, who was selected 11th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2023 MLB Draft. 

Schanuel grew up locally, playing at Park Vista High School, which is now a field that is used by the SFCBL, in Lake Worth. He stayed close to home for college, choosing to spend his next few years at FAU. 

Schanuel, who spends most of his time at first base, came to the SFCBL in 2020, a year before he saw action at FAU. Schanuel was a Boynton Beach Buccaneer and enjoyed a solid year in the shortened season. In 23 games, Schanuel hit .270 with a .418 OBP. Perhaps the most impressive part of Schanuel’s 2020 Summer was his ability to avoid strikeouts, as he only had six of them while drawing 13 walks. 

Schanuel really came into his own at FAU, as he accumulated an astounding career batting average of .386, OBP of .516, and OPS north of 1.200. While Schanuel did not hit a homer with the Buccaneers, his power was evident all throughout his college career, as he blasted double-digit homers in all three years at FAU. 

While Schanuel’s first two seasons at FAU were already very impressive, his third year is what solidified him as a first-rounder. In 2023, Schanuel was near the top of the D1 collegiate leaderboards with a .447 average, .615 OBP, and 1.483 OPS. 

Schanuel continued his impressive lack of strikeouts all throughout college, capped by an insane 71 walks to 14 strikeouts in 2023. With velocity creeping into the triple digits in college these days, striking out 14 times in 60 games is an extremely impressive feat. 

Schanuel joins an Angels roster that has lacked a dependable starter at first base for a while. As Schanuel has already proven himself in college, he can have an accelerated rise through the minor league ranks and into the big leagues. He has the potential to be the third star next to Ohtani and Trout that the Angels have been needing. 

While it is fun to talk about an impact at the MLB level, the reality is that Schanuel’s career is just getting started. However, being the highest draft pick in SFCBL history is a great start to a professional career.