Angels' Red-Hot Hitter Credits Hitting Coaches for Midseason Turnaround

Nolan Schanuel had a big night at the plate against the Athletics on Monday.

The Los Angeles Angels first baseman went 3-for-4, hitting one home run and two doubles. Schanuel’s three hits marked the first game with three extra-base hits of his three-season career.

His prior personal-best was a game with two extra-base hits against the Texas Rangers last season. 

Schanuel also recorded multiple batted balls with exit velocities higher than 100 mph for the first time in his career.

Schanuel credited his recent hitting improvement to Angels’ batting coaches Johnny Washington, Tim Laker, and Jayson Nix, per MLB insider Rhett Bolinger. The coaching trio has helped Schanuel choose better pitches to swing at and encouraged him to be more aggressive early in counts.

"I think it's picking out a good pitch early, not swinging at anything out of my zone,” Schanuel said. “If it's a strike and it's not in my zone, I'll let it go and hopefully get another one. A lot of props to J-Wash, Nixy and Laker.”

The 23-year-old explained how he is more patient while batting, and he is willing to wait for a pitch he likes.

“If I swing at a first pitch that's borderline, then I'm not going to hit it as well as if I just wait and hunt for my pitch. So I think ultimately that helps a lot,” Schanuel said. 

The Angels drafted Schanuel with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. By August of that year, the Florida Atlantic University product made his MLB debut against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In his third season with the Halos, Schanuel was off to a slow start. But with the help of the Angels’ coaching staff, the left-handed hitter has slashed .378/.491/.533 across his last 12 games. 

Schanuel’s recent improvement improved his season slash line from .231/.314/.356 to his current .277/.366/.403 slash line through 45 games. Schanuel now leads all qualified Angels players in batting average, on-base percentage, and walks (22).

The Angels currently have the lowest collective on-base percentage (.2813) in MLB this season. Schanuel's ability to get on base is one of the few factors keeping the Halos afloat in 2025.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.