LA Angels' Ron Washington delivers damning Nolan Schanuel quote during radio spot

One of the bigger X-factors for the Los Angeles Angels coming into the 2024 season was Nolan Schanuel. After rocketing through the minor leagues despite joining the organization in June, the Angels made the very surprising decision to promote him to the big leagues just months after drafting him. He responded well, putting together a promising start to his MLB career in his first look at the majors.

Many predicted that Schanuel could be primed for a breakout season this year as a result of his advanced approach at the plate and tantalizing potential. Instead, Schanuel has put together a pretty disappointing .224/.301/.341 line in almost 300 plate appearances in 2024, and some are beginning to wonder if he could use some more seasoning in the minors instead of getting beat up against big league pitching.

However, Angels manager Ron Washington added a very interesting wrinkle to the whole Schanuel situation when he revealed on MLB Network Radio that Schanuel wasn't playing in day games early in the season because he had trouble waking up for them. Seriously, that actually happened.

Apparently Nolan Schanuel is such a bad morning person that he couldn't play in Angels day games

Obviously this is both hilarious and a terribly bad look for Schanuel. We all know people who do not function well in the morning, and day games after night games are probably brutal. However, it isn't often that a big league baseball player who is paid to play well to, you know, play baseball, has to sit out day games consistently because of it.

It is safe to say that Washington probably has this situation under control now, but this isn't a banner start for a guy who is basically a rookie who can't figure out how to be available because he has the sleep schedule of a college sophomore. The most important characteristic any player can have is being able to be counted on to actually play Although he has a long ways to get to before he is firmly in Rendon territory, this shouldn't be overlooked.

Wash's comments are also a continuation of his trend of being completely unafraid to call out his players for their faults even in public. So far, Angels players have responded surprisingly well to Washington's group roast sessions and are taking accountability for their missteps, but one does wonder how Schanuel will respond to getting called out like this, especially since he has played better after a dreadful start to the season.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout