The last time the Cleveland Guardians had a catcher hit over 15 home runs in a season was 2019, when Roberto Perez had a career year. That streak could be coming to an end soon, though, as the organization’s fifth-ranked prospect, Cooper Ingle, looks ready to bring his high-level hitting ability to the big league club.
In his first full season in Triple-A, Ingle is hitting over .350 in 13 games, putting the organization on notice that he’s ready to join the catching platoon whenever they are done with the Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges duo.
Cooper Ingle Is Ready Whenever the Guardians Are
Another Guardians Prospect Biding Time
Some organizations have a reputation for rushing prospects into the big leagues. The Guardians are not one of those teams. Cleveland tends to promote pitchers much more quickly than its position-player prospects, but at some point, the next wave of players will need to get their opportunity. Based on MLB Pipeline rankings, the Guardians’ top five prospects are all ranked in the Top 100 in the league, and, aside from Chase DeLauter, who is already in the majors, the other four are either in Double-A or Triple-A.
As of right now, the Guardians are sitting in first place in the AL Central, while ranking 8th in xwOBA, according to BaseballSavant. If at any point, Cleveland hits an offensive lull, as they did last season, guys like Ingle could provide the spark the lineup may need. Between 2024 and 2025, the former fourth-round pick had more walks than strikeouts, and over those two seasons, he also managed a combined 60 doubles and 21 home runs.
To start the 2026 season, Ingle’s ability to be patient and find barrels has continued. The 5’8″ catcher ranks in the 100th percentile in walk rate (38.3%) and chase rate (9.63%), and the 96th percentile in hard hit rate (57.9%) among Triple-A hitters to see at least 100 pitches this season, per ProspectSavant.
If those numbers don’t already excite Guardians fans, then the fact that he also has a 1.403 OPS, 261 wRC+, and .429 ISO should do the trick. After struggling last season in his 28 games following his promotion to Triple-A, Ingle is making it clear that he’s made the necessary adjustments to find success at the level. If he can continue that success, he’ll put the team in a tough position if Naylor and Hedges can’t get it going at the dish.
Realistic Timeline for a Promotion
Out of all the Guardians prospects, Travis Bazzana is likely to be the next one to get his shot at the big leagues. This puts Ingle in a similar position to the one CJ Kayfus was in last season. Before Cleveland called him up, Kayfus was tearing up the minors, but Cleveland still had him play 18 games in Double-A and 68 in Triple-A before getting a promotion.
Well, before the Columbus Clippers game on April 20th, Ingle has logged only 13 games this season, making it unlikely that Guardians fans will see him anytime soon. While Naylor and Hedges are struggling at the plate to start the season, they both have things going for them that should keep them on the big league roster for the time being.
For Hedges, he ranks in the 88th percentile in framing and the 78th percentile in fielding run value, so his defense is too valuable to move on from. As for Naylor, he may be hitting .156 with a .468 OPS, but according to BaseballSavant, he is in the 88th percentile in xSLG (.523) and 78th percentile in xwOBA (.369), proving there is reason to believe he will turn things around at the dish.
Main Photo Credits: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
