CLEVELAND — The power was going to be there, but he was still waiting for his promotion to the majors. So beginning this past spring and through the beginning of the season, Jhonkensy Noel 's focus became putting the ball in play at a higher rate.
Even if "putting the ball in play" for him often means launching the ball 400-plus feet over the wall.
Noel's impact on the Guardians lineup since his promotion has been immense . But with great power comes a great responsibility to become a more complete hitter to earn more at-bats in the majors.
For a man nicknamed "Big Christmas," that power element of his game was evident from Columbus to The North Pole. But there was some refinement needed to let it all out.
Before this season, Baseball America noted that Noel might have as much raw power as any hitter in the minor leagues. But his contact rate and mobility were aspects that held his ranking down a bit as a prospect. In other words, it meant Noel could hit the ball a mile, but pitchers at the major league level might be able to exploit holes in his swing enough that the home runs can't outweigh the strikeout rate that had been higher than the team would have liked in the minor leagues.
This spring, it shifted Noel's focus a bit. He had to give the power a chance to shine.
"I mean, I know I have the power, everybody knows that, but I feel my approach is not so much what I feel at those moments, it's just always getting the sensation of a good connection," Noel said through a team translator. "Because [of] what the manager told me in spring training, I can hit the ball 500 feet or 100 feet. The important part for me is to put it all in play. So whenever I'm able to put it in play, that's [a good thing]."
Noel had his best game as a rookie in the Guardians' 9-8 win over the Chicago Cubs Monday night . He first made a diving catch in right field that saved at least one, and probably two, runs. At the plate, he went on to crush a three-run home run before later adding a solo home run for his first multi-homer game. He also set a career high with four RBIs.
Much of Noel's presence in Cleveland 's lineup is due to the potential of that power every time he swings the bat. It's also partly the result of a renewed focus on his mobility and contact rate that began over the offseason and continued this spring.
He's an imposing figure at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds. But his skillset needed some reworking around the edges, and it has opened up more opportunities for him. That includes his mobility and defense in right field as well.
"The first time I met Jhonkensy was in November, when I went to Arizona , right after I got the job," said first-year Guardians manager Stephen Vogt . "And when I saw him I said, 'Hey, you getting big and strong?' He goes, 'No, I'm getting fast.' And when you hear him talking about wanting to put the ball in play more and the self awareness that he has, where he wants to get better. And then he's going out and doing it, working on his speed and agility, working on more contact, and he's seeing the dividends at the highest level."
After Monday's game, Noel has an OPS of .887 since joining Cleveland. He hasn't quite been in the lineup every day, but he's beginning to force his way into a larger a role every time he sends a ball sailing over the wall.
He's also had to learn, in a word, "patience."
"I think the biggest learning [experience] is being patient, knowing that the opportunity is going to come and then when it comes, I'm going to be able to help the team," Noel said. "So just being patient [and looking to] to help the team whenever it's needed."
On Monday night, between the highlight-reel catch and two monstrous home runs, he delivered on that goal — and then did it again, and again.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel rookie season a result of approach
