His first full season was 2024, where he walked at an 11% clip, struck out 17% of the time, and slashed .250/.343/.362 with 13 home runs.
He cut his strikeout rate last season to 12.6% while improving to a .264/.353/.389 slash. He also posted an average exit velocity of 87.5 mph, an improvement from 86.1mph in ’24 and 85.4 mph in 2023. The quality of contact continues to improve without a dip in the amount of contact, which is a trend that always interests me with sleepers.
By no means do I think Schanuel will become a power hitter, but he excels at all other aspects of being a good hitter. With more time on task and growth, is 17 home runs out of the question? I don’t think so. Seeing such a high walk and high average at only 23 years old is encouraging, and there is more room to grow.
The Angels’ lineup does not scream run production opportunities, but we know Schanuel will be hitting high in the lineup — probably the two hole — which should give him more at-bats than some first basemen in this ADP range. More at-bats equals more opportunity.
Triston Casas Is Getting Playing Time, Somewhere — No. 482 NFBC ADP
When the Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras, questions immediately came up about where Triston Casas will play. The former top 100 prospect has seen his momentum halted by injury after injury and did not look like himself in a small sample last season.
The only time we saw Casas have over 500 plate appearances was in 2023, which resulted in a .263/.367/.462 slash with 24 home runs at 23 years old. How much have the injuries impacted his ability? It’s hard to say for sure, but I believe there’s enough talent, and opportunity, to make this selection make sense.
The Red Sox have been involved in trade rumors all offseason and at some point will likely pull off a trade that frees enough at-bats for Casas to see time at DH or first. It’s also possible Casas is the one traded, which would likely open up everyday at-bats, making him even more intriguing.
I struggle to believe someone as young and talented as Casas will be playing in the minors for an extended period of time in 2026. Considering we are approaching pick No. 500, this upside play could pay off in a big way.