Cleveland, OH
“Big Christmas” In Summer: Noel Delivers For Cleveland Guardians
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 12: Jhonkensy Noel #43 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates as he rounds … [+]
They call him “Big Christmas.”
Someone, somewhere, at some time, started calling Cleveland Guardians slugger, Jhonkensy Noel, “Big Christmas.”
Noel, 6-3, 250 pounds, has immense power from the right side of the plate.
Promoted by the Guardians in late June, Noel, 23, has already had a tremendous impact on the outcome of Guardians games.
Maybe Noel’s nickname should be “Big Santa.” He has delivered plenty of gifts to Cleveland, in the way of timely home runs and very, very good defense in right field, and first base.
Noel has hit nine home runs in 94 plate appearances.
Noel hit two crucial home runs August 12 against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
Noel’s first homer in that Cleveland victory gave his team the lead. His second home run gave them a bit of breathing room. As it turns out, they won the game by a score of 9-8.
Noel hit another homer August 13. It put his team ahead of the Cubs in the 6th inning. That shot went 430 feet.
It turned out Noel’s home run won the game for Cleveland.
Noel is what the Guardians need right now.
He is in the right place.
He is producing at the right time.
CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 07: Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) singles during the … [+]
Flashing Several Tools:
Noel has responded to Cleveland’s need for a booming bat in the lineup.
In the last five years, the team has tried to find power from the bats of Bobby Bradley, Oscar Gonzalez, Franmil Reyes, Estevan Florial, and Josh Bell.
None contributed much to a Cleveland offense that has needed power for years.
The most potent bat among them currently belongs to Josh Bell, who the Guardians signed as a free agent in 2022.
Bell was traded by Cleveland to Miami, and has since been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he is flourishing.
Maybe Cleveland pulled the plug too soon on Bell. But to this old scout, clearly not on Bradley, Gonzalez, Reyes, or Florial.
Noel may stick around for a while.
To be sure, some swing and miss remains in Noel’s game. But he’s young, and still learning to hit big league pitching.
Noel seems susceptible to breaking balls down and away from right-handed pitchers.
Noel also has a tendency to chase high fastballs in his eyes.
But time and hard work can correct those holes in his swing.
This old scout has seen Noel scorch pitches thrown down in the zone.
He still needs more patience at the plate. He needs to recognize pitches out of the hand more quickly.
To his credit, Noel works very hard to improve his game. He is out on the field early, working on his defense.
For a big man, Noel is lithe, and nimble in the field.
Noel is much quicker on his feet than one might expect. His coordination and mobility have been on display, as he has made game-changing plays that required a complete combination of skills and confidence.
Noel is getting great “reads” on balls, and his routes have led to some outstanding defensive plays, saving runs for his team.
DETROIT, MI – JULY 9: Jhonkensy Noel #43 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts after a called third … [+]
Playing Time:
For this old scout, Noel should be playing every day, regardless of who is on the mound.
To date, Guardians manager Steven Vogt has mainly platooned Noel, choosing to play him against left-handed pitchers.
Things may be changing.
Noel started all three games against the Cubs, facing a left-handed starter in game one, and then two right-handers.
The Guards won all three games.
To this writer, Noel is one of the few loud bats in the Cleveland lineup capable of changing the outcome of a game with one swing of the bat.
A lineup with Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, and Jhonkensy Noel will add more pressure to the opposing pitcher.
There is a concern that pitchers will pitch around him, and not give him anything to drive. However, if he hits higher in the order, that scenario is less likely.
Noel probably has to fill some holes in his swing to earn a higher slot in the batting order.
Here is what Steven Vogt told MLB.com about Noel after the first Cubs victory: “For Big Christmas to go two times and for us to keep adding on was huge.”
Cleveland baseball fans can be thankful “Big Christmas” has arrived in Cleveland this summer.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
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