Rico Noel Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jablonski Rico Noel
Born 01/11/1989 in Lawton, OK
Profile Ht.: 5'8" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Coastal Carolina
Debut 09/02/2015
Drafted in the 5th round (154th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2010 (signed for $163,800).

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Noel has excellent defensive ability in center field thanks to his range and solid arm strength. He's a well-above-average runner and was tied for the national lead with 51 steals heading into regional play. His swing gets big when he sells out for power, and he needs to shorten up more in two-strike situations, but his plate discipline has improved considerably in his three seasons. He might be up to a shift to second base, where he played as a freshman.

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Noel led NCAA Division I with 56 steals in the spring and has legitimate 80 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale. His speed helps him on both offense and defense. He covers a lot of ground in center field and has solid arm strength. "He's one of the best center fielders I've had in a long, long time," Riddoch said. "He did play deep, but we got him to play shallow because he's so good at going back on the ball." Noel plays to his strengths at the plate. Mostly a singles hitter with some gap power, he's a constant threat to bunt for a hit. The Padres have discussed making him a switch-hitter, but it hasn't progressed further than having Noel hit lefthanded in batting practice. "If you can get this guy to go to the left side and hit from both sides of the plate, he might be something special," Riddoch said. "He reminds me of my old shortstop, Tony Fernandez, when I managed the Padres. Get him on that left side and he starts doing that slapping and dragging and pushing and the corners have to play halfway in, or he'll bunt one and get on. He's got a bright future."