While the Cleveland Guardians have a few struggling young hitters in the majors, their high minors boast some really powerful and productive guys.
One of them is definitely Jhonkensy Noel.
Noel is a flawed hitter with swing and miss issues, but there is no denying he has impactful power.
On Friday, he homered yet again (for the second consecutive game) and now has accumulated six dingers in his last 12 games.
“Noel’s last 12 games: 13-50, 11R, 2(2B), 6HR, 17RBI, 2BB, 11SO, .260 AVG,” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
Noel's last 12 games:
13-50 11R 2(2B) 6HR 17RBI 2BB 11SO .260 AVG https://t.co/VAB3Ye4ASl
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 11, 2024
It was a grand slam that helped Columbus, the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate, flip the score and turn it from a 5-2 deficit to a 6-5 lead at the time, in the third inning.
Noel is still trying to solve Triple-A, which is a necessity for him as a prospect if he wants to have a future in MLB.
For the season as a whole, he has a .212/.273/.492 line, eight home runs and an 89 wRC+.
That last number means he has been 11 percent worse than the league average hitter, all things considered.
Noel, however, has two things going for him.
One is that the 89 wRC+ represents an improvement in comparison to last season, when he finished with a 77 wRC+ in Triple-A despite hitting 27 home runs.
And two, is that his current 12-game power binge has brought his overall numbers up a little and it might mean some evolution or improvement as a hitter.
He still has to take more walks and cut down on his strikeouts, but Noel is slowly improving and positioning himself as a future piece in Cleveland’s puzzle.
NEXT: Guardians Manager Praises Veteran Starter Despite Recent Loss
