Cooper Ingle may still be a ways away from making his Cleveland Guardians debut, but the skipper likes what he's seen from the prospect.
A number of prospects in the Cleveland Guardians’ organization took massive jumps during the 2025 Minor League season, as the next wave of prospects gets closer to making their MLB debut.
That included C Cooper Ingle, who finally worked his way up to Triple-A by the end of the year. Now, Ingle is with Cleveland’s big-league Spring Training camp and is making a strong impression right out of the gate.
Ingle subbed into Cleveland’s Cactus League opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday and was able to successfully challenge a call with the ABS system, demonstrating his strong understanding of the strikeout zone, and even hit a home run on the offensive side of things.
As Stephen Vogt reflected on what he’s seen from Ingle in the limited live opportunities, Cleveland’s skipper is confident that the Guardians’ No. 4 prospect will go on to have a successful career.
"Cooper's continuing to develop behind the plate. I haven't seen him catch a whole lot, saw him a little bit last spring, but he's an athletic kid back there," Vogt said.
“I think the more he can continue to just dive in with the pitchers and understand his angles and his receiving and the throwing's coming along. We're excited about Cooper. I think there's a bright future there, and we're excited to watch his continued development.”
The exciting part of Ingle’s potential as a prospect is that he has upside as both a defensive backstop and as a hitter in the batter’s box, and that’s exactly what the Guardians got the opportunity to see on Saturday.
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Cooper Ingle (70) looks on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesThe Guardians originally selected Ingle in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Across Double-A and Triple-A last year, Ingle recorded a .260/.389/.419 slashline, including 36 doubles and 10 home runs.
Cleveland currently has a pretty deep catching depth chart at the big-league level with Bo Naylor, David Fry, and Austin Hedges all expected to be on the Guardians’ 26-man roster.
However, if Ingle continues to develop the way Vogt and the Guardians expect him to, there’s a chance he’s banging on the door for a promotion by the time this fall rolls around.
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