Jablonski Rico Noel (born January 11, 1989) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who is a free agent. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in 2015.

Amateur career

Noel attended

Lawton High School Lawton High School (LHS) was the first high school built in Lawton, Oklahoma. Lawton High is located at 601 Northwest Fort Sill Boulevard in Lawton, Oklahoma. The school was originally housed in a building on 800 Southwest 'C' Avenue, which later ...

in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he started for the baseball, basketball, and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

teams. Deciding to pursue baseball over football, Noel enrolled at

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (, ) are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in most sports, having joined that conference as a full ...

. He began his college career as a second baseman, but became a center fielder in his sophomore year. In 2009, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

San Diego Padres

The

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

selected Noel in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Noel signed with the Padres, receiving a $163,000 signing bonus. In 2012, while playing for the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park s ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League, Noel recorded 90 stolen bases. Noel was named All-MiLB for May 2013. He began the 2015 season in Triple-A with the Padres, but asked for his release when he decided that to further his career, he needed to play for another organization.

New York Yankees

The Padres released Noel in July, and he signed with the Yankees. The Yankees promoted Noel to the major leagues on September 1, 2015. He made his major league debut as a defensive replacement on September 2. After the Yankees clinched a berth in the MLB postseason, Noel received his first plate appearance on October 3, and hit a single off of

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

' pitcher Oliver Drake. Noel was included on the Yankees' 25-man roster for the 2015 American League Wild Card Game. Noel stole five bases for the Yankees. The Yankees removed Noel from their 40-man roster over the offseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Noel signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in December 2015. He was given a non-roster invitation to Dodgers spring training. He played in 47 games with the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

, hitting .230.

Lancaster Barnstormers

Noel signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2017 season. he was released on May 6, 2017. He resigned on May 23, 2017.

Houston Astros

On August 1, 2017, Noel signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. He was assigned to the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Return to Lancaster

On March 12, 2018, Noel signed with the

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2018 season. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Leones de Yucatán

On May 9, 2019, Noel signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was released on June 8, 2019.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On July 12, 2019, Noel signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the season.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On April 18, 2022, Noel signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the

. He was released on May 11, 2022.

El Águila de Veracruz

On May 14, 2022, Noel signed with

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: ''The Veracruz Eagle'') is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. History Baseball was intro ...

of the

. He was released on July 13, 2022.

Personal life

Noel was born in Louisiana to Vincent and Mary Noel. His family moved to Oklahoma when he was in junior high school. Noel lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during the baseball offseason. Noel's younger brother, Orlandus, is seeking a

heart transplant A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Rico 1989 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Dodgers players Baseball players from Louisiana Baseball players from Oklahoma Bravos de León players Criollos de Caguas players Coastal Carolina Chanticleers baseball players Corpus Christi Hooks players Cotuit Kettleers players El Águila de Veracruz players El Paso Chihuahuas players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Fresno Grizzlies players Lake Elsinore Storm players Lancaster Barnstormers players Leones de Yucatán players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders Major League Baseball right fielders Mexican League baseball center fielders New York Yankees players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Ville Platte, Louisiana People from Lawton, Oklahoma San Antonio Missions players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tomateros de Culiacán players Trenton Thunder players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people