The Cleveland Guardians lost 4-2 to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, but it was a special night for Guardians prospect John-Kency Noel, who hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.
This achievement earned him a place on a rare list in Guardians/Indians history.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
JonKenzie Noel became just the fourth player in Cleveland franchise history to hit a home run in his first career at-bat, joining:
September 2, 2006 Kevin Kuzmanoff
September 29, 1986 Jay Bell
4/16/29 Earl Averill
JonKenzie Noel became just the fourth player in Cleveland franchise history to hit a home run in his first career at-bat, joining:
September 2, 2006 Kevin Kuzmanoff
September 29, 1986 Jay Bell
4/16/29 Earl Averill https://t.co/cXwtJwWEBe
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 27, 2024
Not only did Noel hit a home run, but he hit one off Grayson Rodriguez, one of the best young pitchers in baseball.
That was Noel’s only hit; he was 1-for-4 as a first baseman.
Noel, 22, was hitting .295 with Triple-A Columbus, where he’d already hit 18 home runs, 59 runs and a .937 OPS at that level.
He is currently ranked as the 26th best prospect in the franchise, according to MLB.com Below is a portion of his prospect profile from MLB.com:
Few players can match Noel’s combination of incredible bat speed and strength. Noel produces elite exit velocity and can drive the ball out of any part of the ballpark when he hits. Noel far too often chases pitches of any kind out of the zone, resulting in too many strikeouts and less than optimal contact. The Guardians hope that an offseason of work on his right-handed swing and physique will improve his performance at the plate in 2024.
The Guardians are back in action on Thursday night in Kansas City taking on the division rival Kansas City Royals, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.
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