Nick Schnabel ended a quiet fourth professional season Aug. 26, 2003, when he had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He was 25 and the one-time 31st-round pick out of East Carolina had spent the season with high Class A Brevard County in the Montreal Expos’ system.
As Schnabel went through rehab for his shoulder surgery, he began to wonder if it might be time to go into coaching, as he had long wanted to once his playing career ended. Fortuitously, then-East Carolina coach Randy Mazey had an opening on his staff that fall and called Schnabel to see if he was interested.
Mazey had recruited Schnabel to ECU out of junior college and, now, five years later, he was asking him to return to Greenville, N.C., to start the next phase of his baseball career. Schnabel accepted the offer and became ECU’s volunteer assistant coach.
“I love the game of baseball, being around it,” Schnabel said. “I knew I wanted to be around it. Just having an impact on kids’ lives—or trying to.”
Schnabel, 41, has been making an impact ever since, coaching for the last 16 seasons at five different schools. After one season at his alma mater, he moved on to Chipola (Fla.) Junior College for a year, then to Army for two years, followed by two years at Liberty and then back to ECU for three seasons. He has spent the last seven seasons at Michigan, where he has reunited with head coach Erik Bakich, his teammate at ECU.
At Michigan, Schnabel carries the title of assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator and plays an important role across nearly all aspects of the program.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
SUMMER STANDOUTS
The top prospects in summer college leagues are poised to impact the 2025 draft
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Last year’s Florida Complex League prospect crop has been beset by lengthy injuries to many of its top players, including Yankees pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange, Mets infielder Marco Vargas and Red Sox catcher Johanfran Garcia.
IN WITH THE NEW
The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
Four key takeaways from the 2024 draft
K.C.MASTERPIECE
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.
