Clemson Tigers catcher Cooper Ingle selected by the Cleveland Guardians in 2023 MLB Draft

One of the key cogs in the 2023 Clemson Tigers baseball team has found a new home at the next level. The Tigers’ catcher Cooper Ingle has just heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Cleveland Guardians selected him with the No. 125 overall pick.

Ingle spent three seasons with the Tigers. He primarily played catcher at Clemson, but listing him solely as one might be a disservice to his level of play and versatility on the field. Ingle played a number of positions for Clemson along with catcher, including left and right field, second baseman, and designated hitter.

While playing for the Tigers, Ingle became one of the more consistent contact hitters in the ball club. In his last season at Clemson, playing 62 games, he sported a batting average of .328 in 256 at-bats with 84 hits, 60 runs, 34 RBIs, and six home runs.

What experts are saying about Ingle

MLB.com has Ingle ranked as the No. 232 overall prospect ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft. According to their scouting report, the Clemson catcher projects to be a solid hitter at the next level with his bat-to-ball skills, and pro scouts are smitten with his mental makeup. However, there are concerns about whether or not he has the physical tools to handle playing catcher at the next level full-time.

“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,” according to the team at MLB.com.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.

This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.

While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.

Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.

In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.

Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.