Big Christmas Guardians nickname, explained: How Jhonkensy Noel's festive moniker became a household name originally appeared on The Sporting News
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Why is Jhonkensy Noel nickname Big Christmas?
Jhonkensy Noel Big Christmas nickname, explained
Who is Jhonkensy Noel?
Jhonkensy Noel stats
Jhonkensy Noel nationality
Baseball history is full of great nicknames, and one of the modern greats belongs to a relatively unknown player.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel has already endeared himself to Cleveland fans with a legendary postseason in 2024. But he has given Guardians fans more fun than just a huge playoff moment.
Noel's nickname is "Big Christmas," a unique moniker that quickly became popular among the Guardians' fanbase. In a sport full of nicknames, no one can take away the fact that Noel's is as festive as any other.
Here's what you need to know about Noel's unique nickname.
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Jhonkensy Noel's nickname is great, but it's also pretty straightforward: he's big, and his last name is Noel. The name "Noel" literally translates to "Christmas" in French, making it an easy nickname for the Guardians' slugger.
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The first component of the moniker is pretty obvious, as Noel is listed as 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds. He's not as tall as Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton , but at 250 pounds and still taller than most hitters, he's an imposing presence in the batter's box.
"Noel" is a term associated with Christmas, originating from French. "Noel" translates to Christmas in French, and the term was brought over to the English language centuries ago in the form of the popular Christmas carol, "The First Noel." The song is believed to have originated in England at some point during or before the early 1800s.
The reasoning behind Noel's nickname is quite simple, but how did it start? Its origins are very recent, actually. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt gave the righty hitter the nickname shortly after he debuted in June of 2024, and it stuck as the he got off to a hot start.
Noel "thoroughly enjoys" when fans refer to him as "Big Christmas," MLB.com's Mandy Bell wrote in October of 2024, though he calls himself "a quiet guy" despite his booming presence at the plate.
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Noel signed with Cleveland in 2017, shortly after he turned 16. The franchise worked hard to develop him, and the results really started to show in 2021 when he hit .340 with 19 home runs and a 1.005 OPS over 70 minor-league games.
Over the next two seasons, however, Noel's contact-hitting fell off sharply while his power surged. He hit .229 in 2022 and .220 in 2023, with strikeouts emerging as an issue. This year, however, Noel seemed to fix some of those problems. He hit .295 with 18 home runs and a .937 OPS in just 65 games at triple-A, reducing his strikeout rate to 21 percent. It earned him his first big-league call-up in late June of 2024.
Noel initially hit well, blasting 13 home runs in his first 45 MLB games as part of a lineup that needed a power even homering in his first MLB plate appearance. However, those strikeout troubles plagued Noel down the stretch, though, as he hit just carrying over into the postseason, but he broke out of his slump in a big way in Game 3 of the 2024 ALCS with a home run for the ages at Progressive Field.
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| Year |
Games |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
OPS |
fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
67 |
.218 |
13 |
28 |
.774 |
0.6 |
| 2025 |
69 |
.162 |
6 |
13 |
.480 |
-1.1 |
Jhonkensy Noel has had an inconsistent start to his MLB career, producing in his rookie season but really struggling in his sophomore campaign.
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Jhonkensy Noel was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, and he grew up in the Dominican Republic before signing with the Guardians at 15 years-old.
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