ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nolan Schanuel's dream of playing in the majors happened quicker than he could have dreamed.
The Los Angeles Angels called up the 21-year-old infielder on Friday, 40 days after he was the 11th overall pick in this year's amateur draft.
It’s the fastest big league promotion for a draft pick since Chris Sale in 2010 with the Chicago White Sox.
Schanuel was in the leadoff slot for the Angels in the opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I have dreamed about playing in the major leagues since I was 4-years-old. It’s been a goal of mine, but I didn’t think it would be in 40 days. It’s very unexpected, but I'm ready to take on the opportunity,” Schanuel said before Friday's game.
Schanuel batted .370 in 21 minor league games across three levels. He got the call after first baseman CJ Cron was placed on the injured list due to low back inflammation.
Manager Phil Nevin said Schanuel's track record in college and his short stint in the minors, as well as the organization's recent history with draft picks making an early impact, made him the best option at first base with Cron out.
“If we feel somebody’s ready to play and that’s the best team for us, we’re going to do it,” Nevin said.
Schanuel sounded a little bit star struck describing seeing Mike Trout for the first time in the Angels' dugout. But Schanuel has shown he is a quick study in adjusting to the level of competition.
“I didn’t change anything from what I was doing six months ago in college," he said. "The speed of the game is a little faster than it was in college so I had to make little adjustments. Once I got to experience it, that slowed everything down.”
Schanuel is the first Angels position player to debut in his draft year and third overall. The others were left-handed pitchers Brian Anderson (1993) and Danny Goodwin (1975).
Schanuel is also the first U.S.-born player to debut within 40 days of being drafted since Toronto’s Brian Milner did it in 17 days in 1978.
Schanuel was an All-American selection and the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year at Florida Atlantic University. He was second in the nation in batting average (.447), and finished with 19 homers and 64 RBIs.
It is the third straight year that the Angels have been the first organization to promote a player from a draft class to the majors. Right-hander Chase Silseth, an 11th-round selection in 2021, was called up in May 2022, and 2022 first-round pick Zach Neto was promoted less than a month into this season.
“There’s no philosophical thing here. It’s the individual player, where they’re at, how they’re performing and where the team is and what the needs are," general manager Perry Minasian said. "Obviously, we have a need at first base with CJ going down. We felt like Nolan could fill it.”
The Angels (60-62) go into Friday night having lost 11 of their 15 games in August. They are seven games out of the AL's final wild-card spot.
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