Many rookies have made their MLB debuts this season, however none have been as eventful as the primary at-bat of Cleveland Guardians prospect Jhonkensy Noel.
Dealing with Baltimore Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez within the second inning on Wednesday, Noel held off from the primary pitch for ball 1. Then got here a 97 mph fastball within the zone that Noel foul-tipped, and misplaced his bat within the course of. As in, it slipped out of his fingers.
That enjoyable second received even higher on the following pitch, when Noel clobbered one other 97 mph fastball into the house bullpen at Camden Yards.
Amongst these watching was the Guardian’s Triple-A staff in Columbus, which spent a rain delay watching their current teammate open his MLB profession with a homer.
That is a primary profession hit and residential run for Noel, who completed the day 1-for-4 with that homer and two strikeouts. The Orioles received 4-2, nonetheless, as Rodriguez recovered from the house run to throw seven innings with two earned runs allowed.
Noel is ranked because the No. 26 prospect within the Cleveland system by MLB Pipeline, along with his energy naturally rated as his finest device. Earlier than his call-up, he was hitting .295/.359/.578 with 18 homers in 65 video games for Columbus.