Cleveland Guardians' Prospect Joins Rare Team History in Debut on Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Cleveland Guardians promoted slugging prospect Jhonkensy Noel from the minor leagues. On Wednesday night, he promptly homered to make some team history.

Cleveland Guardians outfield Jhonkensy Noel (43) reacts after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 26. / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians lost to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night by a score of 4-2, but it was a special night for Guardians' prospect Jhonkensy Noel, who homered in his first big league at-bat.

With that accomplishment, he also joined a rare list in Guardians/Indians history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Jhonkensy Noel is the 4th player in Cleveland franchise history to homer in his first career at-bat, joining:

9/2/06 Kevin Kouzmanoff
9/29/86 Jay Bell
4/16/29 Earl Averill

Jhonkensy Noel is the 4th player in Cleveland franchise history to homer in his first career at-bat, joining:

9/2/06 Kevin Kouzmanoff
9/29/86 Jay Bell
4/16/29 Earl Averill https://t.co/cXwtJwWEBe

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 27, 2024

Not only did Noel homer, he homered off of Grayson Rodriguez, who is one of the top young pitchers in all of baseball.

That was Noel's only hit, as he went 1-for-4 playing first base.

The 22-year-old Noel had been hitting .295 at Triple-A Columbus. He already had 18 homers and 59 at that level and was posting a .937 OPS.

He is currently ranked the No. 26 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. Here's a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Few players can match Noel's combination of prodigious bat speed and strength, which produce top-of-the-scale exit velocities and allow him to crush the ball out of any part of any park -- when he connects. He chases all types of pitches way too often out of the zone, leading to too many strikeouts and suboptimal contact. The Guardians are hopeful that offseason alterations to his right-handed swing and physique will help him improve at the plate in 2024.

The Guardians will be back in action on Thursday night when they take on the division-rival Kansas City Royals in Kansas City. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.