The Cleveland Guardians are always on the lookout to add some power to their lineup.
You can even say they have made considerable progress in that regard from year to year considering they were dead last in homers last season and are now tied for 11th in 2024.
The quests never stops, though: you can always be better.
They might have a viable solution down in the farm if the stats are any indication.
His name is Jhonkensy Noel, and he hit not one or two, but three home runs on Wednesday.
“#ICYMI: After slugging three home runs last night, Jhonkensy Noel now leads the Guardians farm system with 12 home runs this season,” GuardsInsider tweeted.
#ICYMI: After slugging three home runs last night, Jhonkensy Noel now leads the Guardians farm system with 12 home runs this season. pic.twitter.com/hjmb1ARB9A
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 23, 2024
He now has 12 home runs for the year, and that’s enough to lead the system to this date.
Noel is, slowly but surely, positioning himself to make his MLB debut later in the season.
Players such as Daniel Schneemann should be in front of him on the depth chart, but when the summer comes and the Guardians have a need for a player of his profile, he could become an option.
He doesn’t come without flaws, though.
Noel has a long swing and strikes out a ton: he is at 25.6 percent this year.
That makes his batting average less than ideal (.240 this season), but he has been such a great power source that his slugging percentage is a very healthy .539.
Noel could also stand to benefit from drawing more walks and showing more patience at the plate: his current .304 OBP could become a liability in the bigs.
Still, his power alone could make him a solid bench option, and he has the potential to improve.
The Guardians have a nice alternative in the upper-minors should they want to give him a chance.
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