Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel is One of the Hottest Minor League Hitters

Guardians' Triple-A outfielder Jhonkensy Noel has quickly emerged as one of Cleveland's top prospects in the team's minor league system.

The power hitter from the Dominican Republic has been enjoying a dominant run in the month of June, displaying his bat at a consistent rate.

#Guardians current minor league hitting streaks:

Jhonkensy Noel (Columbus) 12
Jose Tena (Columbus) 8…
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 20, 2024

Noel has an International League-high 17 home runs on the season and is lingering around the .300 mark in batting average. His 56 RBIs also leads all International League hitters.

But Noel's recent success has not always been the case.

The 22-year-old prospect struggled at the beginning of the season, recording a sub-.200 batting average and 37 strikeouts through May 16.

The tides changed for Noel, as the promising prospect began to find his groove at the plate. He cut down his strikeout rate while maintaining his power numbers. On May 22 against Omaha, Noel went 3-for-5 with three home runs and three RBIs.

Over the last month, Jhonkensy Noel has cut his chase rate 10%, raised his Z-Con to 89.5%, and has a 90th percentile EV north of 110 mph. Over that span: .426/.496/.743 with 8 HR/14% K/11% BB
Has 17 HR on the year as a 22 year old in AAA.
🎥 @CleGuardPro pic.twitter.com/O2AjkwjZBT
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) June 19, 2024

Noel began his career as one of the youngest prospects in the Guardians' minor league system. He signed with Cleveland back in 2017 and spent time in the Dominican League and Arizona League through 2019. He made the jump to Single-A in 2021, splitting time between Lynchburg and Lake County.

Despite batting .219 with 80 strikeouts in 2022, he was promoted to the Double-A Akron Rubber Ducks due to his crazy power potential. By the end of the year, Noel appeared in four games in Triple-A Columbus. Throughout his time in the minors, Noel transitioned from 3B to OF.

The young talent is the No. 26 prospect in the Guardians minor league system, according to MLB.com, but still has plenty of time to develop.