Jhonkensy Noel Adds Name To Guardians History Book During Debut
The only thing better than making your MLB debut is getting a hit in your first at-bat. What’s even better then that is hitting a home run on the third big-league pitch you see.
That’s what Cleveland Guardians prospect Jhonkensy Noel did on Wednesday night.
The announcement that Noel was called up to make his debut came earlier in the day and he was in the starting lineup at first base and hitting fifth for the game.
Noel wasted no time to make his impact known and smoked a solo home run during his first at-bat. He couldn’t help but smile at his teammates in the third base dugout as he jogged around the bases.
Jhonkensy Noel is big and strong and has homered in every Major League at bat he has had.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/6RqDc0QjHc
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 26, 2024
As impressive as this feat was, Noel also added his name int to Cleveland history books with his home run.
Only three other hitters in Cleveland history have hit a home run in their first career big-league at-bat. Those players are Earl Averill (April 16, 1929), Jay Bell (September 29, 1986), and Kevin Kouzmanoff (September 2, 2006).
As rare as this accomplishment is, it’s not too surprising that Noel was able to add his name to this list. Cleveland’s 29th-ranked prospect has been hitting the ball hard all season. He’s hit 18 home runs and 15 doubles which comes out to a .937 OPS in his 65 games at Triple-A this season.
Hopefully, this is just a sign of what is to come and Noel continues to be a power-hitting presence in the Guardians’ lineup moving forward.
TOMMY WILD