Is It Already Time to be Concerned About This Guardians Slugger?

The Cleveland Guardians have not exactly gotten off to an ideal start this season, as they are sitting at 3-6 and have already shown numerous red flags.

It's obviously still early in the year, so there is plenty of time for the Guardians to get on track. But you also can't help but make some observations.

One thing that stands out immediately is the performance of outfielder Jhonkensy Noel, who has gone just 1-for-16 with three strikeouts and one walk thus far in 2025.

Noel flashed some considerable potential for Cleveland last season, smashing 13 home runs over 198 plate appearances. However, he also displayed some glaring holes, striking out 63 times and registering a .288 OBP.

Is it possible that Noel's free-swinging nature is going to ultimately prevent him from ever becoming a reliable slugger for the Guardians?

Guardians Prospective wonders if Cleveland is making a mistake by platooning Noel with Nolan Jones in right field, as neither player is lighting it up thus far. But perhaps Noel's lack of plate discipline is just too much to overcome?

Noel is only 23 years old and doesn't even have a full season of MLB experience under his belt, so again, it's too soon to judge for sure. But he also struggled in spring training, and while he may have prodigious power, it won't matter if he can't put the bat on the ball.

The Guardians largely chose to ignore their questionable outfield during the offseason, putting their faith into young hitters like Noel moving into 2025. They also traded away first baseman Josh Naylor, putting an awful lot of pressure on Noel to compensate for that loss of power.

He certainly hasn't done so in the early going, and barring a major turnaround in his approach, we may not see Noel break out of this at any point this year.

A lot of things can change between now and October, but Cleveland may have placed one too many eggs in Noel's basket.

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