Rico Noel

Jablonski Rico Noel

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.
• School Coastal Carolina University
• High School Lawton High School
• Debut September 2, 2015
• Final Game October 4, 2015
• Born January 11, 1989 in Lawton, OK USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Centerfielder Rico Noel played in the San Diego Padres organization beginning in 2010. He was taken by the club in the 5th round of the 2010 amateur draft.

The owner of blazing speed, Noel stole 17 bases in 44 games his first year, and followed that with a 62-steal campaign in 126 games in 2011. Entering 2012, he was ranked the best defensive outfielder in the Padres system by Baseball America. He stole 90 bases in 113 tries for the Lake Elsinore Storm that year. In 2013, he stole 59 bases in 131 games for the San Antonio Missions. He began 2014 with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas and stole 32 bases there.

Back with El Paso in 2015 after being a non-roster invitee in spring training with the Padres, he was released on June 28th. On July 2nd he signed with the New York Yankees. He spent time first with the Trenton Thunder of the AA Eastern League and then with the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was called up to the major leagues when rosters expanded on September 1st and made his debut the next day as a late-game defensive replacement for Carlos Beltran in right field although he did not have a chance to bat. Overall, he went 1 for 2 in 15 games, with 5 runs scored and 5 stolen bases, as he was used primarily as a pinch-runner in what turned out to be his only taste of the major leagues.

Despite his efforts to try and make it in the majors, Noel's most notable moment is perhaps the time when he bunted out to Will Ferrell during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.

Related Sites

• Rico Noel at mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• Coastal Carolina University bio