Three Positives From the Week of June 23rd

It was a rough weekend for the Guardians, but take a moment to look back on all of the good things that happened this week.

Today is the start of a new month. So let’s brush off the rough weekend and take a look back on all of the positive things that happened for the Cleveland Guardians last week.

Noel Makes Stunning Debut

The Guardians called up prospect Jhonkensy Noel on Wednesday after optioning Johnathan Rodríguez. A Jhon for a John. After being placed in the starting lineup that night, Noel immediately made his case for why he should stay in the big leagues. In his first-ever Major League at bat, Noel hit a home run. Although it wasn’t enough in the Guardians’ 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the homer proved that Noel is ready and that his power made the transition to the bigs along with him.

While he has some major difficulties with striking out on bad pitches, his power is what is really catching the team’s eye at the moment. His second home run, a 115.4 mph hit to left field, was Cleveland’s hardest-hit home run since 2015 according to Sarah Langs. Although Kansas City tried (and failed) to challenge the call and turn it into a foul ball, Noel’s big hit led the Guardians to a 7-2 win.

Williams Returns From IL

The Guardians announced on Sunday that starting pitcher Gavin Williams is finally returning from the Injured List. This could not have come at a better time as the starting rotation is really starting to show the wear-and-tear of the lengthy season. In a corresponding move, Triston McKenzie was optioned to Columbus to work on his stuff and hopefully return to the once-dominant pitcher that we know he is.

One rehab start in Akron saw him go five innings while giving up just one run on five hits. In Columbus, he made five appearances. Over 12 innings, he gave up 14 hits and 10 runs for a 6.00 ERA. Not ideal, but not horrible for rehab starts. While only time will tell, we’re all hoping that the 2023 Williams we know and love will return to the mound at Progressive Field this week.

Two Make Phase Two

MLB announced on Thursday morning the top two players in each position (four for outfield) that received the highest amount of votes for the All-Star Game. These players will be moving on to Phase Two to decide who will be starting the game in Arlington later this month. For the Guardians, José Ramírez and Steven Kwan made it to Phase Two alongside Emmanuel Clase (the public does not get to vote for pitchers).

Ramírez is currently leading the voting for third basemen. If he wins, he will be the starter for the All-Star Game. With Aaron Judge the only lock so far, there are still two outfield spots open. Kwan will have to be within the top two spots to be a starter.