Guardians’ Cooper Ingle Keeps Adapting In Pro Ball
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Lefthanded-hitting catchers who can swing the bat are a welcome addition to any team.
Cooper Ingle fit that description in his three seasons at Clemson, and the same remains true for the 2023 fourth-rounder in pro ball.
This season at High-A Lake County, he hit .314/.433/.500 with nine home runs in 68 games. He drew 51 walks against 40 strikeouts. The Guardians promoted him to Double-A Akron on Aug. 14.
“He is known for his elite contact skills,” Guardians assistant GM James Harris said, “but in his first full year of pro ball, he has also demonstrated the ability to make good swing decisions, which has allowed him to impact the baseball more consistently.
“Simply put: He has more walks than strikeouts. He is a very patient hitter and consistently gives his team competitive at bats.”
Ingle’s patience at the plate surfaced at Clemson, where he had 80 walks and 62 strikeouts in 578 career plate appearances. In pro ball, he owns a 19% walk rate and 13% strikeout rate.
Ingle hit 14 home runs in three years in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but he has found more power in pro ball. His .176 isolated slugging is about 30 points higher than it was in college.
Defensively, Ingle is still a work in progress.
“He works extremely hard on his receiving and blocking with (Lake County) manager Omir Santos,” Harris said, “and will work this offseason to add additional arm strength.”
Santos spent parts of five seasons as a big league catcher as part of a 14-year pro carer.
The 22-year-old Ingle has adapted well to pro ball and he has shown the maturity and work ethic that teams value.
“Cooper is the type of player who works hard to help his team win in all phases,” Harris said. “He is an advanced hitter but also looks to lead and support our pitchers in-game and in bullpens.”
