4 days Ago
The Cleveland Guardians put a whole lot of faith in Jhonkensy Noel heading into the 2025 MLB season, as they did not make any major outfield additions over the winter. Yes, the Guardians did swing a trade for Nolan Jones shortly before the start of the campaign, but there was more to find a platoon bat for Noel in right field. To put it simply, Cleveland was hoping that Noel would break out this year after displaying some significant flashes in 2024, but it hasn't panned out thus far.
Heading into Tuesday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles, Noel was slashing just .188/.229/.
188 with no home runs and two RBI. Sure, he had cut down on his strikeouts, but his inability to generate any power thus far this season has been a problem. James Mastrucci of Away Back Gone is none too pleased with Noel's power shortage through the first couple of weeks and sent a rather strong warning to the 23-year-old amid his struggles.
"The Guardians need Noel to hit home runs and doubles, end of story," Mastrucci wrote . "There is nothing wrong with hitting singles, and it is a positive of sorts that Noel has managed to get the hits he has so far in 2025, but that is not what he is in the lineup for (they have Steven Kwan for that). If Noel is unable to turn things around soon, some uncomfortable conversations regarding his playing time/role and maybe even his major league roster status might have to take place.
" Noel was promoted to the big leagues last June and managed to smash 13 homers over 198 plate appearances, which had Guardians fans buzzing wondering what the Dominican native would be able to achieve in his first full season. However, the slugger has been unable to put it together thus far. We'll see if Noel can right the ship before it's too late.
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