Nolan Schanuel poses an interesting roster problem for Angels to solve

Lineup construction might not seem like it matters a lot, but putting every piece in its right place can swing a win total a few games in the positive direction. For a team like the Los Angeles Angels that is desperately trying to return to relevance, every "W" counts.

The 2025 version of the Angels' lineup was an interesting thing, ranking at the top, middle, and bottom of different key metrics. The Halos crushed 226 homers, good for fourth in the majors. But, with a 25th-ranked runs scored total, 673, many of those homers were solo shots, and the club struggled to score in other ways. That was in no small part thanks to a league-worst 27.1% strikeout rate, which killed a lot of rallies.

Earlier in the offseason, the unit looked incredibly unbalanced, with only Nolan Schanuel as an option from the left side. Thankfully, the club has added some balance by acquiring left-handed outfielder Josh Lowe and then re-signing switch-hitting Yoan Moncada.

The key to their offensive success, and the hardest piece to place, however, is Nolan Schanuel.

Nolan Schanuel is the key to unlocking the Angels' lineup

Schanuel is an enigma because, although he has the look of a prototypical first baseman, he doesn't hit like one. Entering his age-24 season, the 2023 first-round pick owns a career .371 slugging percentage and has never hit more than 13 homers in a single season.

If you think that shouldn't be a problem, given the Halos' prolific power outburst last season, remember that they lost 36 homers in Taylor Ward via the Grayson Rodriguez trade, and will be counting on health from players like Mike Trout, Jo Adell, and Yoan Moncada, all of whom are famously fragile. Los Angeles could be looking at a power outage in 2026, and if so, the situation becomes much more bleak.

Schanuel's strength is his ability to draw walks and make above-average contact, which would seemingly make him a fit at the top of the lineup. However, his 18th percentile speed doesn't make him a prototypical leadoff man, and batting him first or second would take at-bats away from more well-rounded threats like Trout or Zach Neto.

Without the requisite power to hit in the middle of the lineup, that would lead one to put Schanuel towards the bottom. There is the problem of lefty-righty balance to worry about, though, and putting him in the bottom third doesn't bode well for taking full advantage of his on-base skills.

The simple solution, at least in theory, is that he needs to hit for more power. Easier said than done, but the Angels don't need him to be a 30-plus home run masher. Instead, consistently driving the ball into the gaps and turning on the occasional meatball to hit it out of the park.

The good news is that at least one projection system sees a power boost as a possibility, and if that were to happen, it would go a long way towards allowing Schanuel to hit near the top and solidify the lineup.

Schanuel has long been working on increasing his strength and bat speed to little effect, but if he can manage to finally get over that hump, things will be looking up. If not, it will be a clunky fit as the Angels try to build a functional offense.