After going 1-for-16 as a freshman in 2021, Ingle has been one of Clemson's best hitters the past two seasons. He has started games at five different positions: catcher, both outfield corners, DH and second base. Scouts love his makeup and appreciate his bat-to-ball skills, but they wonder whether he's physical enough to handle a full-time workload behind the plate.
Ingle does a fine job of controlling the barrel from the left side of the plate and focuses on putting the ball in play. Just 11 percent of his swings resulted in misses this spring, including only 6 percent against fastballs. He draws a healthy amount of walks but displays little power, making a lot of ground-ball contact to the opposite field and rarely driving the ball in the air to his pull side.
Quicker and more athletic than most catchers, Ingle can flash solid speed out of the batter's box. But he's also small for his position at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds and caught just 60 games in three college seasons. He has average arm strength and similar potential as a receiver, though he needs more reps behind the plate.
Ingle had a steady but unspectacular college career at Clemson before the Guardians made him a fourth-round pick in 2023. He opened eyes with his first full pro season, when he was named High-A Midwest League MVP and led all Minor League catchers in wRC+ (160), on-base percentage (.419) and BB/K ratio (1.2). He batted .260/.389/.419 with 10 homers in 120 games between Double-A and Triple-A as an encore in 2025.
While Ingle wasn't as dynamic offensively last season, he did have more walks than strikeouts for his third consecutive year as a pro. He's an extremely disciplined hitter who controls the zone and rarely comes up empty when he turns his left-handed swing loose. Cleveland has helped him add a leg kick and hunt for early-count pitches he can drive, and he launched balls in the air more than ever last year, hinting at 15-homer power in the big leagues.
Ingle had a reputation as an agile defender in the past, but he slowed down in 2025, both behind the plate and on the bases. Though he has good hands and receives well, he regressed as a framer at the upper levels of the Minors. He lacks physicality at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds and has just fringy arm strength that he does mitigate with a quick release.
A steady if unspectacular starter for two seasons at Clemson before the Guardians drafted him in 2023's fourth round, Ingle exploded in his first full pro season. He won High-A Midwest League MVP honors by hitting .314/.433/.500 in 68 games before a promotion to Double-A, where he batted .281/.379/.416 in 25 contests. He led all Minor League catchers in wRC+ (160), on-base percentage (.419) and BB/K ratio (1.2).
Like most of Cleveland's best position prospects, Ingle controls his barrel and the strike zone extremely well. A left-handed hitter, he rarely chases or swings and misses, making consistent contact and getting on base at a high clip. He's not very physical and makes a lot of groundball contact, which limits his power upside, though the Guardians have had him add a leg kick and hunt for pitches to drive early in counts, which could result in 12-15 homers on an annual basis.
Quicker and more agile than most catchers, Ingle can flash solid speed out of the batter's box but is more of a fringy runner on the bases and could slow down as he spends more time behind the plate. He has good hands, committing just one passed ball in 74 games last year, and boosts his below-average arm strength with a quick release that helped him throw out 26 percent of basestealers in 2024. He lacks physicality at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, so there are some concerns about him handling a starter's workload at the big league level.
Ingle went 1-for-16 as a Clemson freshman in 2021 before becoming one of the Tigers' best hitters the next two years while starting games at catcher, both outfield corners, DH and second base. The Guardians liked his bat-to-ball skills, versatility and makeup enough to draft him in the fourth round last July. He has hit well in High-A during his pro debut and first full season while Cleveland carefully has managed his workload behind the plate.
Ingle controls the barrel of his bat as well as the strike zone better than most players can. He rarely swings and misses or chases pitches out of the strike zone, making regular contact while drawing plenty of walks. After rarely driving the ball in the air and rolling over a lot of grounders to his pull side at Clemson, he has added a leg kick and is tapping into more power in pro ball.
Very quick and athletic for a catcher, Ingle can show solid speed out of the batter's box at times but plays as more of a fringy runner and will slow down as he endures more wear and tear at his position. He's not very physical for a backstop at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds and caught just 60 games in three years at Clemson, so he'll have to prove that he can handle a full workload. He needs more repetitions behind the plate, but he has the makings of an average receiver and enhances so-so arm strength with a quick release.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
