Young Angels star's quote about emotional locker room will fire you up

The Angels have had a wild ride to start the 2025 season. After an opening day letdown, the club responded with a four-game winning streak before dropping the series finale in St. Louis and the home opener back in Anaheim.

Despite some questionable managerial decisions and some issues that can hopefully be worked out as the season progresses, the team has put together some exciting moments during their better-than-expected start.

Back-to-back Angels' extra-inning wins have left the team buzzing, and promising young first baseman Nolan Schanuel aptly described what the late-game heroics have meant for the clubhouse. Speaking after the Angels' second-straight extra inning affair, Schanuel had this to say:

"I got goosebumps, and just being with this group of guys and everything, it's just electric 24/7. There's a totally different vibe in here from this year to last year, and it's awesome. It's awesome to be a part of."

Nolan Schanuel via Joe Harris of MLB.com

In the game, Schanuel committed a big throwing error in the eighth inning that allowed the Cardinals to tie, but later redeemed himself with his first career triple in the 10th, which plated two runs. Schanuel described those moments, saying:

"My teammates picked me up, and they had my back no matter what. Even though I made the error, we still knew we had a chance to win the game. And guys came up right when I got into the dugout on the front step and tapped me, saying, ‘Hey, forget about it. You're gonna have to come up and make an impact in the game later.’"

Nolan Schanuel via Joe Harris of MLB.com

This is the attitude of winning baseball teams, something the Angels have been working hard to cultivate after more than a decade of disappointment.

There is a stark contrast between the 2025 Angels and 2024's group

2024 saw the franchise hit a new low, posting a franchise-worst 63-99 record in a year where injuries mounted and things felt hopeless at times. Everything that could go wrong did, and a team devoid of the requisite talent to play competitive baseball often looked as if the wind had been taken out of its sails.

Former Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar recently spoke about how exhausting losing was and how it led him to contemplate retirement following the 2024 season.

Pillar split time between the White Sox and Angels last season; however, of his 100 games played last year, 83 of them came with the Halos, making it clear which team he was primarily referring to.

The Angels have repeatedly vowed to be competitive this season while they look to their young core to take the necessary steps forward to return to contention and snap the longest active playoff drought in the league.

There's a long way to go in order to reach that destination, but one thing is clear: the vibes surrounding the Angels are certainly different from what they were a year ago, and these young players coming together and starting to believe in one another is a massive step towards accomplishing that goal.

2025 might not be the year the Halos snap their playoff-less streak, but it will certainly be the most fun season to watch in recent years, and Nolan Schanuel's comments are a big reason why.

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