The Cleveland Guardians enjoyed 13 home runs and a solid, above-average 118 wRC+ from young slugger Jhonkensy Noel last year.
He also hit one of the most important homers in recent franchise history in the postseason against the New York Yankees.
This year, however, he has hit rock bottom.
Noel hasn’t gotten going at any point in the 2025 campaign and currently looks like a minor leaguer out there, expanding the zone and swinging and missing with frequency.
He hasn’t just been bad: he has been the worst hitter in the league with a minimum of 100 plate appearances.
“By a significant margin, Noel has been the worst hitter in baseball this year. Playing him as much as they have has been malpractice and cost them a whole win,” Guardians prospect reporter @JeffMLBDraft posted on X.
By a significant margin Noel has been the worst hitter in baseball this year. Playing him as much as they have has been malpractice and cost them a whole win pic.twitter.com/ttcStPf7ck
— Jeffmlbdraft (@jeffMLBdraft) June 7, 2025
That graphic was posted before the Guardians’ game on Friday.
The updated leaderboard still lists Noel with the worst wRC+ in MLB among players with at least 100 trips to the plate, but with a 6 wRC+ rather than the 8 he started the day with.
Adael Amador remains the second-worst, with the same 22 wRC+.
The reporter’s point stands: at this point, playing Noel is malpractice because he has cost the Guardians a full win.
That’s right: he also has one of the worst fWAR outputs in MLB, with -1.0.
His demotion to Triple-A is lurking around, as he has shown no signs of turning things around.
Maybe a stint in Columbus to clear his head, rediscover his swing, and regain his confidence will work wonders for him.
At the moment, he just doesn’t look like a major leaguer.
NEXT: Guardians Place Backup Catcher On 7-Day Injured List
