The Official 2023 MLB Amateur Draft Thread

[Second Base]

Just to get people excited. I'll call him Jim Thome. 

[Chuck]

 

[Chuck]

Schanuel developed a reputation as a standout pure hitter in high school in Florida, but went undrafted and made it to campus at Florida Atlantic. He has only solidified his hitting chops after three tremendous seasons, where he has posted an OPS north of 1.000 each year. He was one of the best overall hitters in college baseball in 2023, with a .444/.612/.864 slash line and a 219 wRC+ mark that led Division I. Schanuel is a tall, 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman who hits with a unique setup in the lefthanded batter’s box. He has an extremely high handset, reminiscent of Craig Counsell, but has done a nice job getting his hands into the hitting zone with good timing, with long levers and an uphill path. While the swing itself is odd, Schanuel has shown some of the best pure contact skills in the class, with a career 7% strikeout rate and a 2023 overall contact rate of 89%. He rarely misses in-zone (94%), rarely misses a fastball (97%) and also makes life difficult on pitchers by mostly staying within the strike zone on his swing decisions. Schanuel has solid power, but he’s a pure hitter first, who will hit for average, get on base, minimize his strikeouts and let his home runs come naturally. Schanuel is limited to a corner profile, but he’s a deft defender at first base and a below-average runner. He’s the top first base prospect in the class and should go in the back of the first round or shortly thereafter.

[mmc]

Said it I think yesterday but Schanuel was the guy I settled on so I'm very happy with this pick.  Think he'll be an impact bat for us very quickly.

[mmc]

 

[mmc]

[jsnpritchett]

 

[Dtwncbad]

I am happy to see this pick as just a dude that smashes the ball.

I am very happy to have a big bat first baseman with power that controls the strike zone.

Seems like the raw athletes get grabbed or everybody gets excited about shortstops.

That’s all fine but at some point you probably want a dude at 1B that just smashes.

This guy looks like a fast path to batting 3-5th in an Angel uniform.

 

[Angelsfan1984]

Solid pick. I would have preferred Gonzales simply to turn him into a 2b. This kid can rake, but 1b has been a safety blanket in terms of moving parts around. 

[Inside Pitch]

Its rare to see a draft go this far and for there to not have been an awful pick.  Wish we had our second rounder.

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 minute ago, Inside Pitch said:

Its rare to see a draft go this far and for there to not have been an awful pick.  Wish we had our second rounder.

FUCK! I forgot about that

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Its rare to see a draft go this far and for there to not have been an awful pick.  Wish we had our second rounder.

Tyler Anderson is the gift that keeps on giving. 

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, Inside Pitch said:

Its rare to see a draft go this far and for there to not have been an awful pick.  Wish we had our second rounder.

...but we've got a guy with a 5 ERA and a 1.5 WHIP--and we get him for TWO MORE YEARS!

[Inside Pitch]

2 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

FUCK! I forgot about that

I wish I could forget.

[Inside Pitch]

There's gonna be a shit ton of talented HS guys in the third round.  Think the Halos stay with college guys but, there's gonna be a lot of talent.

[mmc]

 

[UndertheHalo]

23 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Just to get people excited. I'll call him Jim Thome. 

oh hall of famer Jim Thome? Like do you think about these things before you post them haha

Edited July 10, 2023 by UndertheHalo

[jsnpritchett]

Just now, UndertheHalo said:

oh hall of famer Jim Thome? Like do you you think about these things before you post them haha

To me, he's like a combo of Willie McCovey and Rickey Henderson.

[UndertheHalo]

Just now, jsnpritchett said:

To me, he's like a combo of Willie McCovey and Rickey Henderson.

Lessssssssssssssssssss GOOOOOOOO

[AngelsLakersFan]

They just drafted a black kid and threw a Kenny Loften comp on him. Smh

[AngelsLakersFan]

6 second clip of Brock Wilken and I'm wishing we drafted him instead. lol

[jsnpritchett]

 

[Revad]

3 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

Interesting.  I guess that’s the main concern, him being 1b only.  I’d feel better if there was an internal solution to 3b, maybe he ends up there.

[Second Base]

If Nolan Schanuel is capable of playing 2B or 3B at the major league level, then I need to stop guessing. 

[mmc]