Nolan Schanuel spent two days a week this offseason standing. For the entire day, except for meals, he was upright.
From the moment he woke up until the second he went to bed, Schanuel conducted this day-long exercise to prepare him for playing a 162-game schedule.
Sam Blum from The Athletic found this intriguing story about the Angels' rookie who was called up to the big leagues in August, just one month after being drafted.
“The first time, I was losing my mind," Schanuel told Blum. "The first day it was 1 p.m. and I had lost my mind.”
Schanuel turned 22 last month and is gearing up to be the starting first baseman for the Angels this season after posting a .402 OBP in 132 plate appearances. This time last year, he was starting his senior season at Florida Atlantic.
As he found himself under the bright lights of Major League Baseball stadiums last year, he realized his legs were tiring out quicker than in college games. The more back-to-back games he played, the earlier the fatigue would set in.
Which led him to this ridiculous fitness experiment.
“At 5 p.m. is when I would feel mentally drained, physically drained. That’s when I had to fight the most demons. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., or whenever I was getting ready for bed. It was just the hardest time.”
Manager Ron Washington believes in Schanuel. He's going to be the team's No. 2 hitter to start the year, and will look to extend an on-base streak that began the night of his MLB debut.
“I feel like my legs have gotten bigger from it. Doing leg workouts, I feel stronger. I feel more enduring. I can do more throughout the day. I feel so much better on my feet than I was last season. If you stand throughout the day, it can’t be a bad thing.”
Most importantly, he's hoping to create another streak. One that involves him standing at first base for nine innings a night for nearly 162 games.
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