A former Clemson standout is excelling in his second, and first full professional season.
Former Tiger catcher Cooper Ingle has been swinging a hot bat with the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.
On July 4 against the Dayton Dragons (High-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds), Ingle went 3-for-5 at the plate with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, and he tacked on a stolen base in the contest as well.
Ingle’s .330 batting average and .924 OPS are both currently tops in the Midwest League. Through 48 games this season, he has five home runs, 17 doubles, 38 RBI, 30 runs scored and three stolen bases.
#Guardians 22yr old (C) prospect Cooper Ingle with his 3rd hit of the game a 2-run laser shot over the right field wall in the bottom of the 10th inning for Lake County against Dayton! The HR was his 5th of the season. Ingle is currently leading the Midwest League with both a… pic.twitter.com/TClaXL7V5o
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 5, 2024
Ingle was drafted by the Guardians in the fourth round (No. 125 overall pick) of the 2023 MLB Draft and signed in July of last year.
In 17 games with Lake County last season, he hit .289 with five doubles, 10 RBI, eight runs scored and two steals.
Ingle earned third-team All-ACC honors in his final season with the Tigers, when he hit .328 with six home runs, 34 RBI and 60 runs scored while posting an .878 OPS over 62 games (all starts).
For his Clemson career, Ingle was a .329 hitter with a .476 slugging percentage and .425 on-base percentage in 126 games (120 starts) over three seasons from 2021-23. He had 29 doubles, 14 homers, 81 RBIs, 112 runs, 80 walks, six hit-by-pitches and two steals, and only struck out 62 times in 483 at-bats in his career.
Cleveland made Ingle the seventh catcher selected in the 2023 draft.