| Year | G | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | RBI | BB | K% | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 49 | .239 | .350 | .318 | .668 | 3 | 18 | 26 | 14.9% | 0.5 |
| 2024 | 148 | .258 | .368 | .367 | .735 | 9 | 54 | 74 | 12.8% | 2.1 |
| 2025 | 149 | .264 | .371 | .389 | .760 | 13 | 61 | 71 | 13.1% | 2.4 |
| 2026 ST | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The Plate Discipline Is Real. Now Show the Power.
In two full MLB seasons Nolan Schanuel has walked 145 times and struck out fewer than 14% of his plate appearances. At 23 years old. At first base, where organizations historically tolerate three-true-outcome sluggers who swing and miss constantly, Schanuel is doing the opposite — making contact, taking pitches, grinding at-bats.
Suzuki has said publicly and directly that the Angels should not mess with his approach. That is the correct call. You do not tinker with a 23-year-old who already walks at an elite rate. You add to it — and the bat speed data suggests that's exactly what's happening.
The SLG numbers tell an honest story so far: .318, .367, .389 — incremental improvement but not yet the profile of a true first-base power threat. To hold down 1B on a contending team long-term, the industry expectation is a .450+ SLG. He's not there yet. But the trajectory and the underlying metrics say he's moving toward it, not away from it.
If Schanuel hits 20+ home runs in 2026 and lifts his SLG above .450, the Angels face an urgent decision: extend him at 5yr/$65M before he prices himself out of their range. They have already seen what happens when you let a young franchise player reach free agency without acting. They cannot repeat that mistake twice.