CLEVELAND, OH - While the Cleveland Guardians (70-49) have had offensive spurts over the past month, Monday's 9-8 win over the Chicago Cubs (59-61) felt like the offense was finding a groove and looking like the high-powered offense that fans had grown accustomed to early in the 2024 season.
One of the biggest contributors to the high-octane run production? Guardians rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel.
In just 31 games, the right-handed slugger has added some much needed pop into the lineup since being called up to the major leagues on June 26th, hitting eight home runs (sixth most on the team) with a .887 OPS, which is 16 points higher than Jose Ramirez. The last Cleveland hitter to have eight or more home runs in their first 31 games was Russell Branyan from 1998-00.
For Noel, his raw power has never been an issue, hitting 45 home runs in 207 games with AAA-Columbus, but his approach, both at the plate and in the field, has been the true difference maker leading to his success.
“I know I have the power, everybody knows that, but I feel my approach is not so much what I feel at those moments, just always getting the sensation of a good connection,” Noel said of his approach at the plate after the win. “Because just that’s what the manager told me in spring training, I can hit it 500 feet if I want to, 400 feet if I want to, the important part for me is to put the ball in play, so whenever I'm able to put it in play, that's a really good feeling.”
Manager Stephen Vogt also heaped on some more praise Noel's way after the game, but for his defense as he had a tremendous diving grab in right field in the top of the fourth inning.
“Oh, it's huge,” Vogt said of Noel’s diving grab after the game. “That was a game saver. I think that killed the momentum right there for them, and just an unbelievable play. He's continued to just shine on defense. He's been making plays. He comes up with these big hits, and he hadn't been getting many at-bats, and, when he was, they weren't going well. For him to come in on a night where we really needed some big punch, he provided it.”
“The first time I met Jhonkenzy [Noel] was in November when I went to Arizona right after I first got the job,” Vogt recalled after the game. “When I saw him, I said, ‘Hey, [are] you getting big and strong?’ He said, ‘No, I'm getting fast.’ Then you hear him talking about wanting to put the ball in the play more. The self awareness that he has and where he wants to get better, and then he's going out and doing it, working on his speed and agility, working on more contact, and he's seeing the dividends at the highest level. From the day he got here, he hasn't been big-headed.”
It has been abundantly clear that the team has needed some kind of spark, and for the Guardians clubhouse, it seems that Christmas came early with the first Noel.
What's Next?
The Guardians will turn to veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd, who will make his Cleveland debut on Tuesday, as the club looks to build upon its three game winning streak.. The Cubs will counter with Javier Assad (5-3, 3.24) on the mound. First pitch at Progressive Field comes at 6:40 PM.