Cleveland Guardians first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel came up with one of the signature moments of the postseason on Friday, blasting a two-out, two-run homer off New York Yankees closer Luke Weaver in the bottom of the ninth to tie Game 3 of the ALCS. Noel was down to his final strike before he got a hold of a pitch and sent Progressive Field into a frenzy. The 23-year-old may very well have saved the Guardians season, as they would have gone down 3-0 in the series if it wasn't for his heroics. He may not be in the lineup every day for Cleveland, but when he is at the dish there is always the possibility of a long ball.
Cleveland Guardians rookie first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Noel will take a seat for the first time in the ALDS after going hitless in four at-bats with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Will Brennan will make the start in right field on Wednesday and will hit seventh against Tigers rookie right-hander Keider Montero. Brennan, who hits from the left side, was much better against right-handers this year, going 82-for-295 (.278) against them with all eight of his home runs and 28 of his 30 RBI on the season. He has seen just one at-bat so far in the two games of the ALDS and was unable to record a hit. Brennan finished the final month of the regular season hitting .370 (17-for-46) with three doubles, two RBI and four runs scored in 18 games played.
Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel is making the start in right field and is batting seventh for the Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers and left-handed opener Tyler Holton at Progressive Field. In his first year in the big leagues in 2024, Noel played in a total of 67 games and slashed .218/.288/.486 with a .774 OPS, 13 home runs, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored and 63 strikeouts in his 198 plate appearances. With Cleveland also facing a left-hander (Tarik Skubal) in Game 2 on Monday, it's possible Noel will make two straight starts to begin the series. Noel hit .246 (14-for-57) with seven of his 13 long balls against left-handers this year, compared to .205 (25-for-122) against righties. Noel packs a punch from the right side of the plate, but he should be considered more of a DFS sleeper long shot on Saturday.
Cleveland Guardians rookie first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. With Noel back on the bench after starting each of the last three games, Will Brennan will make the start in right field and will bat seventh against Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Noel does have 13 home runs in his first 55 big-league games with Cleveland this year, but he's also hitting only .232 (35-for-151) and has 55 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances. The Dominican slugger has really struggled of late, too, as he doesn't have a hit since Sept. 2. In nine games in September, Noel has gone 2-for-23 (.087) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts. The left-handed-hitting Brennan has not recorded a hit in only three career at-bats against Pepiot and should be considered a low-upside DFS sleeper.
Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel was in the thick of the action in Monday's 9-8 win over the Cubs. Noel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a three-run HR, and a strikeout. The 23-year-old capped off a big fourth inning, going down to drive a Shota Imanaga splitter deep onto the left-field porch. He added another long ball in the sixth, taking Nate Pearson over the left-center wall. Noel has shown plenty of pop in his time with the Guardians, slashing .250/.299/.588 with eight HR, 10 runs scored, and 12 RBI in 87 plate appearances. He has struck out at a 29.9% clip, but Noel could be a spark plug for fantasy managers' lineups down the stretch in deeper leagues.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel went yard during his MLB debut in Wednesday afternoon's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, launching a solo home run in the second inning. After letting go of his bat, Noel then hit a solo homer in his first major-league at-bat to give the Guardians an early 1-0 lead on Wednesday. The 22-year-old slugger is Cleveland's No. 26 prospect for 2024 and is worth a speculative add in deep fantasy leagues for his raw power potential, having slashed .295/.359/.578 with 18 round-trippers, 15 doubles, and 59 RBI over 258 ABs at Triple-A Columbus this season. With plus position eligibility, Noel belongs on all watch lists at the very least.
The Cleveland Guardians called up first base prospect Jhonkensy Noel from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday and optioned outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez to Columbus in a corresponding move. With first baseman Josh Naylor missing a second straight game, Noel will make his major-league debut on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, starting at first base and batting sixth. The Guardians' No. 26 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, gets his first major-league call-up after hitting .295/.359/.578 with a .937 OPS, 18 home runs and 59 RBI in 65 games with Columbus. The 22-year-old right-handed hitter could get some run at first for the Guardians if Naylor is actually dealing with an injury. In addition to first base, Noel can also fill in at a corner-outfield spot if needed.
Cleveland Guardians first base prospect Jhonkensy Noel blasted three solo home runs for Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, bringing his season total to 12. The slugger is a career .251 hitter in the minors, but the power is real after he hit 32 long balls between High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2022 and 27 homers last season at Triple-A as a 21-year-old. It's possible the 22-year-old sees some time in Cleveland this season at some point, and his power should put himself into the season-long conversation once he gets the call. But it could come at the expense of average, as he's currently sporting nearly a 26% strikeout rate in 2024 at Triple-A, and that probably won't get better at the big-league level.
Jhonkensy Noel
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Guardians
