Four baseball players with South Florida ties drafted among top 31 picks in MLB Draft
Three players with South Florida ties were drafted on Sunday night in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft – FAU’s Nolan Schanuel, former Plantation American Heritage center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Gulliver Prep infielder George Lombard Jr.
In addition, Doral Academy shortstop Adrian Santana was selected in the “Competitive Balance Round A” at pick No. 31 overall.
Schanuel, who was the 11th overall pick to the Angels, led the nation in batting average (.447), walks (71) and on-base percentage (.615).
He was Conference USA’s Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, according to D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and three other outlets.
Schanuel, a lefty swinger, is a rare hitter because he has big-time power and yet struck out just 14 times in 59 games. He had 18 doubles, four triples and 19 homers, and he also stole 14 bases in 15 attempts.
“Nolan is the best player in program history,” FAU coach John McCormack said.
Schanuel, a native Floridian, grew up in Boynton Beach – just 14 miles from FAU’s Boca Raton campus. He had an outstanding prep career at Park Vista High, striking out just 16 times in three years.
As a high school senior, Schanuel stood 6-2 an weighed 185 pounds. He wasn’t powerful, failing to bench press even as little as 135 pounds.
Just three years later, Schanuel towers at 6-4 and 215 pounds. On his best day, he can bench press 225 pounds five times.
Schanuel credits some of his success to former FAU hitting coach Greg Mamula, who is now running the Delaware program.
One policy that Mamula started at FAU – and that Schanuel still follows – is to make batting practice have consequences. In essence, if a player swings at a ball or takes a strike, he gets booted out of that round of batting practice.
“It’s just a way to put a punishment on things,” Mamula said. “But Nolan is as good as anybody I’ve ever coached in terms of swing decisions.
“What Nolan sees with his eyes is better than 99.9 percent of his peers.”
Bradfield, selected 17th overall by the Orioles, starred for Vanderbilt over the past three years, stealing 130 bases to set a school record. His 198 runs scored over his career ranks third in program history.
Rated by MLB.com as the fastest player in the draft, Bradfield’s success rate on steals was outstanding at 90.9 percent.
There is some question if Bradfield will hit enough. But he is a prototypical leadoff batter who slugged 11 triples in three years, hitting .311 during that span.
Bradfield, who made just four errors in his career, has been compared to former major-league center fielder Kenny Lofton, who was a six-time All-Star, led the league in steals five times and won four Gold Gloves.
“Enrique is a game-changer,” said Bruce Aven, a former MLB outfielder who coached Bradfield at American Heritage. “When he’s on base, he makes pitchers throw more fastballs because they are afraid he will steal bases. The new rules (bigger bases and limited pickoff throws) enhance his value.
“There are a lot of fast guys who can’t steal bases. Enrique is a fast guy who understands how to steal. He reads pitchers and gets great jumps.
“He will run into some home runs, but he’s not a power hitter. He just needs to stay true to his game.”
Lombard, drafted 26th overall by the Yankees, is a shortstop who could end up at third base. He has already outdone his father in one aspect as George Lombard Sr. was “just” a second-round pick, selected by the Braves in 1994.
ESPN’s analysts said Lombard did not have a great summer in 2022, but he turned in on this spring. Lombard played some soccer in high school – which shows his athleticism – and he is projected to grow to about 6-3 and 210 pounds.
“He is above average hitter for average and power, and he has proven it against tough competition in South Florida,” ESPN’s Eduardo Perez said. “He has great (character). Everybody loves him. His father was a big-leaguer and a coach. His little brother is a freshman, and we may be talking about him in a couple of years. He’s that good.
“You can feel confident that (George Jr.) will get the most out of his tools.”
Santana, a switch-hitter, was selected by the Rays, one of the shrewdest organizations in baseball.
ESPN raved about Santana, saying he is an “80-grade, top of the scale runner and a 70-grade, almost top of the scale defender with a 70 arm. You are starting with almost perfect grades.
ESPN noted: “He can make contact. He taps into some power, but it’s not there all the time. What is the impact going to be with his bat? He has some loud tools, but he weighs just 165 pounds.”
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 7:27 AM.