With two home runs in his first three games as a major league player, new Cleveland Guardians call-up Jhonkensy Noel is quickly making a name for himself.
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.
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Here's what to know about the Guardians prospect:
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 Noel hit on Saturday in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals is a big talker online. Some argue the hit should have been ruled a foul ball . But it wasn't, so it's officially Noel's second home run as a pro.
And what a home run it was. According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the blast was the hardest-hit Cleveland home run of the Statcast era (since 2015).
Talk about making a statement. In his first at-bat for the Guardians , Noel blasted a home run to center field.
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.
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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If you want to scream Noel's name from the stands, or in front of your television, but don't know how to pronounce his name, it is \\jh-AAN-ken-zee\\.
Noel is 22. He was born July 15, 2001, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.
Noel was signed by Cleveland as an international free agent in 2017. The 2017 international class also included Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians prospect Jhonkensy Noel is already making a name for himself
