Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Homers in first big-league at-bat
Rotowire
Noel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.
Noel enjoyed a storybook first big-league plate appearance, blasting a solo shot 413 feet to center field. The 22-year-old was promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day after blazing to a .295/.359/.578 slash line with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 65 games with Columbus. Noel's power is unquestioned -- he went deep 27 times at Triple-A last season -- though he has had some strikeout issues during his time in the minors. There isn't an obvious path to everyday at-bats with the big club, but if Joel is productive, he could work his way into fairly regular playing time by moving between first base, the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: On fire at Triple-A
Rotowire
Noel is slashing .402/.471/.705 with nine home runs and a 14.5-percent strikeout rate in his last 30 games for Triple-A Columbus.
With Kyle Manzardo failing to take a big-league job and run with it and Noel already being on the 40-man roster, Noel could get a shot as Cleveland's designated hitter sometime this summer. The righty-hitting slugger has huge raw power, and while he has seen 25 starts in the corner outfield spots this season, he's probably too big (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) to get regular starts in the outfield at the highest level.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Summoned to big leagues
Rotowire
The Guardians recalled Noel from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in the Guardians' series finale in Baltimore.
Noel will hit the big leagues for the first time. The 22-year-old slashed .295/.359/.578 with 18 home runs over 65 games with Columbus this season. Much of that production has come since the start of May, with Noel producing a .343/.404/.651 line with 14 home runs in 43 contests over that stretch. Noel has also struck out at just an 18.1-percent rate since May 1, which is a positive development for a player who has often struggled to make contact during his minor-league career. While he can handle first base and the corner outfield spots in a pinch, Noel's best shot at consistent playing time in Cleveland could come at designated hitter.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Optioned to Columbus
Rotowire
The Guardians optioned Noel to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Noel went 5-for-22 with a 10:0 K:BB over nine Cactus League showings. The 22-year-old has some of the best raw power in the organization but needs to tamp down the strikeouts.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Shows improvement in second half
Rotowire
Noel slashed .246/.320/.451 with 14 home runs in 69 games during the second half for Triple-A Columbus.
Given that he is the second-youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A this year (behind Masyn Winn), Noel can be forgiven for struggling in the first half (.673 OPS). The 22-year-old has a 116.5 mph maximum exit velocity and a 106.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, but he also made too much soft contact (24.7 percent), so he could benefit in 2024 from being more selective at the plate.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Noel was optioned to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians on Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Noel, 21, has gone 2-for-15 at the dish in nine games this spring. The young slugger is expected to play left and right field in addition to his natural first base at Columbus this season.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Will get look in multiple spots
Rotowire
Noel will get some time at first base, left field and right field during 2023, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.
Noel is likely to begin the season with Triple-A Columbus, where he received a late promotion and played four games last season. Across three levels of the minors in 2022, he hit 32 home runs. He still strikes out at a high rate -- that mark was at 27.4 percent last season, but the power remains enticing if he can improve his plate discipline. The 21-year-old is a natural first baseman, but getting more time in the corner outfield at the highest levels of the minors could open more pathways for his eventual major-league debut.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Promoted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Noel was promoted to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.
The 21-year-old infield prospect slashed .242/.338/.488 over 67 games in Double-A Akron this season and will now finish his season in Columbus. If he enjoys similar success at a higher level, there is a possibility that he may crack the majors some time in 2023.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Plenty of homers, strikeouts
Rotowire
Noel has hit 19 homers in 62 games for High-A Lake County this year, but he's also batting .219 with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate.
While Noel is on close to a 50-homer pace over a 162-game season, he's been striking out more than we've ever seen from him in the past -- including at this same level last year. Noel gained some hype last season after hitting .340 with a 1.005 OPS across three levels of the minors, but that stat line was buoyed by the highly fortunate .421 BABIP he put up while batting .393 in Low-A. He'll need to adjust his approach to become a useful big leaguer, particularly because Noel looks like he may be limited to first base defensively.
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Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Protected from Rule 5 draft
Rotowire
Noel was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster Friday.
Noel is a rare case of a hitting prospect in the lower levels getting added to the 40-man roster as Rule 5 draft protection. However, he is one of Cleveland's best prospects, with a chance to develop a plus hit tool to go with easy plus power. He should spend a good chunk of next season at Double-A.
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Indians' Jhonkensy Noel: Promoted to High-A
Rotowire
Noel was promoted to High-A Lake County on Tuesday.
It was a well-earned promotion for the infielder, who tore through Low-A with a .393/.426/.693 slash line, 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 36 runs scored and two stolen bases in 38 games. Noel will look to keep up the strong hitting at High-A for the remainder of the 2021 season.
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Indians' Jhonkensy Noel: Back in action
Rotowire
Low-A Lynchburg activated Noel (ankle) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Noel went 3-for-14 (.214) across five games in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He'll look to regain an everyday role with Lynchburg now that he's healthy. Noel's slashed .347/.368/.639 across 76 plate appearances, although it seems unlikely he'll move up in the organization during 2021.
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Indians' Jhonkensy Noel: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Noel (ankle) has gone 1-for-10 with a double and a walk in four games for Cleveland's rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate since beginning a rehab assignment July 5.
The 20-year-old third baseman has been on the 7-day injured list at Low-A Lynchburg for nearly a month with a sprained ankle. Now that he's gotten in a few rehab games under his belt in the ACL, Noel should soon rejoin Lynchburg.
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Indians' Jhonkensy Noel: Suffers sprained ankle
Rotowire
Noel was confirmed to have avoided a fractured ankle Tuesday but does have a sprain.
Noel got off to an excellent start this season in his first taste of full-season ball, hitting .347/.368/.639 with five homers in 17 games for Low-A Lynchburg. The severity of his sprain and his expected return date are not yet clear.
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Player Bio
HT/WT: 6-4, 250 lbs
Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
