The MLB draft is here and that means the final mock drafts are being submitted. The latest mock draft from CBS has our Atlanta Braves selecting Nolan Schanuel at pick 24 in the first round.
As we all know, mock drafts are just educated guesses to who a team might select. It is a fun exercise to take on and it is usually an enjoyable reading experience for fans. Getting an idea of who their team might add to their minor league system is always fun.
So who is Nolan Schanuel? He was Florida Atlantic's first baseman for the past few years and he put together a phenomenal couple years for the Owls. He has actually been linked to several teams throughout the 11-20 range, so this mock is projecting a slight fall for Schanuel here. That is because this draft is considered to be a fairly deep draft and there are maybe 15-20 guys that could go in that 10 pick range, meaning teams at the backend of the draft could end up with a solid prospect.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has Schanuel going 11 to the Angels, so we see how big of a range we are working with here.
If Schanuel were to fall to 24, and the Braves were to select him, they would be getting a hitter with phenomenal plate discipline. Over his three years at FAU, Schanuel walked 138 times while only striking out 57 times. Those numbers did get skewed this past year with 71 walks to only 14 strikeouts, but that is an attribute to how dangerous of a hitter he was and the respect opposing staffs gave him.
In 2021, Schanuel hit .343/.444/.576 11 HR, 54 R, 56 RBI, & 6 SB over 244 plate appearances. He followed that up in 2022 hitting .369/.477/.658 16 HR, 55 R, 56 RBI, & 11 SB over 277 plate appearances. His final year saw him hit .447/.615/.868 19 HR, 70 R, 64 RBI, & 14 SB over 289 plate appearances. For his career, he finished hitting .386/.516/.698 46 HR, 179 R, 176 RBI, & 31 SB.
This season @FAUBaseball's Nolan Schanuel had a 219 wRC+, leading D1 BB in 2023 and the 3rd best wRC+ since 2017@NSchanuel's wRC+ tops other #MLBDraft prospects like Crews (192), Wilken (187), and Langford (185) pic.twitter.com/l5henFHAsu
— 6–4–3 Charts (@643charts) July 6, 2023
As we see in this tweet, he had a 219 wRC+ to lead all of college baseball. That is the third highest since 2017! There is some thoughts that the bat is advanced enough to head straight to AA after being drafted.
Draft Profile: Hit: 60 Power: 50 Run: 45 Arm: 50 Field: 50 Overall: 50
Strengths: The bat is his calling card. A plus hit tool combined with advanced plate discipline will be what helps him climb the minor leagues. He is also athletic for his size and could potentially move off first base to a corner outfield spot with the right coaching. This versatility would benefit him in any organization, but especially one like the Braves who have first base locked up for the forseeable future.
Weaknesses: Poor performance in the Summer League last year worried some. The plate discipline was still there but the overall numbers were down. Could this be tougher competition getting the better of him or just a rough stretch of games? He also might need to develop more power to help the bat project out in the future.
One player comparison I have seen is Ryan Mountcastle and I personally like that comparison. Could this be the Braves selection at pick 24?