The 6-foot-3, 250-pound outfielder and first baseman was called up after Kyle Manzardo and Jonathan Rodriguez were optioned to the minors.
Noel came into the season ranked as the No. 26 prospect in Cleveland's farm system by MLB.com . Manzardo was No. 2 on that list and Rodriguez was No. 16. As Baseball Prospectus noted, Noel is one of the few hitters who might have a case as to having the most pure power in professional baseball — if he can make enough contact to make it count.
Jhonkensy Noel's nickname is one of the best in sports
A good nickname can help make a player a fan favorite. Think Jason Kipnis, aka Dirtbag. Or Mike Clevinger, warmly referred to as Sunshine. Or how about Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco? Noel's nickname is a good one: Big Christmas.
Get it? Noel? Christmas? He's big?
The home run Jhonkensy Noel hit against Royals is the hardest ever hit by a Guardians player in the Statcast era
Noel became the third Cleveland player to hit a home run in his first at-bat, joining Jay Bell and Earl Averill.
Craig Kimbrel later struck Noel out to end the game, but the rookie still got his highlight for the night.
Jhonkensy Noel's minor league stats are eye-popping
Noel is a power hitter through and through, albeit with a somewhat "raw" swing. In 2022 in the minor leagues he hit 32 home runs, and another 27 more in 2023. In 65 games for Triple-A Columbus this season, Noel had 18 home runs.
For the Clippers this season, also Noel hit .295 with 59 RBIs. For Triple-A Columbus in 2023, Noel hit .220 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs. In 2022 over three minor-league levels, Noel hit .229 with 32 home runs and 84 RBIs.
The issue for Noel has been strikeouts. In the minors this season, Noel had 60 strikeouts in 258 at-bats. In 2023, it was 145 strikeouts in 519 at-bats. And in 2022, it was 150 strikeouts in 485 at-bats. Although he's displayed tremendous raw power, his contact rate is what has slowed his progress to the majors and kept his prospect ranking in check.
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