Cleveland Sports Forum

I know that Cozart is the catcher of the future, but I'm copying this update on Cooper Ingle anyway

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.”

Jaison Chourio never did the call to Lake County and now it's too late; suffered a broken wrist Saturday and he's done for the season.

Good to see Valera back finally in the groove

On this week's BA Hot Sheet:

10. George Valera, OF, Guardians

Team: Triple-A Columbus (International)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .348/.400/1.000 (8-for-23), 6 R, 5 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0 SB

The Scoop: Valera hit nearly a third of his home run total for the season last week in six games in a home series versus Indianapolis. It’s been another season of a piece for the corner outfielder. Lots of hard contact, lots of swing-and-miss and lots of days on the injured list. Now, with Triple-A time in three straight seasons, Valera is poised to make his MLB debut this season or next. (ME)

And as the week's "Helium Pick" He's been impressive in the boxscores, and sounds impressive with on the skills noted befow.

HELIUM
Luis Merejo, 1B, Guardians

Merejo’s data has popped dating back to last year in the Dominican Summer League. He started this year in the Arizona Complex League, then got the bump to Low-A Lynchburg on July 30. Since then, the results have been outstanding and he has shown bat-to-ball skills and power. Merejo’s 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.2 mph ranks in the 97th percentile of hitters and is in elite company among players 20 years of age or younger. It’s not just raw power either, as Merejo has shown a consistent ability to get to his power in games and is doing so against older competitors. His is a name to watch in 2025 as a potential breakout. (GP)

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 8/27/24
Arthur Kinney
Aug 28


Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 11, Gwinnett Stripers 10
Double-A - Akron RubberDucks 5, Bowie Baysox 3
High-A - Lake County Captains 5, Cedar Rapids Kernels 2 (F/6 - Rain)
Single-A - Carolina Mudcats 3, Lynchburg Hillcats 2
HIGHLIGHTS

Chase DeLauter (RF, Columbus): 3-5, 1 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB - DeLauter continued his strong start to his Triple-A stint by starting his first roadtrip as a clipper with a trio of doubles for his first multi-hit game at the level. If Chase can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Columbus): 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB - For the second time in his last three games, J-Rod had a multi-hit game that included a home run. His two-run blast in the sixth (366 feet, 99.6 MPH) proved to be crucial as the Clip Show won by a single tally.

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Ray Delgado (3B, Columbus): 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 2 E - Delgado Followed up his two-hit finale to last week’s series with another multi-hit effort, this time tying his season high with a trio of RBI.

Trenton Denholm (SP, Akron): W (3-1), 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR allowed, 4 Pickoffs - Denholm started what is scheduled to be a two-start week for him with what can only be described as a dominant outing. Trenton not only came within one bad pitch of hurling seven shutout frames, but only needed 76 pitches to do so. That’s less than eleven pitches per frame! In his last three starts, he has a 0.90 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 15:3 K:BB ratio.He is quickly entering “nothing left to prove in Akron” territory.

Wuilfredo Antunez (LF, Lake County): 2-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI - Antunez just keeps raking. Between the two A-ball affiliates, Wuilfredo is slashing .378/.420/.756 with a ten-game hitting streak that includes all seven High-A games he has played so far and a 15-game on-base streak in games with multiple plate appearances (broken overall by an 0-for-1 August 2). Lest you think that slash line is entirely the product of dominating a lower league, he is /400/.423/.640 hitting for the Eastlake nine.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Kyle Manzardo (1B, Columbus): 2-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - Manzardo broke out of a ten-game multi-hit drought with a pair of singles on Tuesday night.

Myles Straw (CF, Columbus): 1-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, 1 E - Straw’s three-run night was his first of the 2024 campaign.

Juan Brito (2B, Columbus): 1-6, 1 RBI, 1 K - Brito reached the 70-RBI mark for the third time in as many full professional seasons on a ninth-inning single that drove in what would ultimately be the decisive run.

Gabriel Arias (SS, Columbus): 1-5, 1 2B - Arias has now reached safely in twelve straight games following his seventh-inning double.

C.J. Kayfus (1B, Akron): 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Kayfus opened the RubberDucks scoring in their final home day game of the 2024 campaign with his tenth Double-A homer.

Cooper Ingle (C, Akron): 1- 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI - Ingle extended the lead two frames later with a two-run shot that extended a trio of streaks in multi-PA games (all three were broken overall by am 0-for-1 Sunday): six-game hitting, 13-game on-base, and 14-gae productive plate appearance - the latter two going back to when he was a Lake County Captain.

Yordys Valdes (2B, Akron): 1-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB - Vades wrapped up the scoring to frames later with another two-run blast that, like both of the prior RubberDuck homers and the lone Baysox round-tripper, was hit to right field.

Milan Tolentino (SS, Akron): 1-3, 1 2B - Tolentino had the lone non-homer hit for the Mallards of Main Street, which was also of the multi-base variety.

Aaron Bracho (DH, Akron): 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K - Bracho extended his on-base streak to 18 games with an eighth-inning walk.

Travis Bazzana (2B, Lake County): 1-2, 2 R, 1 B, 1 SB - Bazzana has a hit in four of his last five games after his first multi-run performance since August 6.

Angel Genao (SS, Lake County): 1-3, 1 RBI - Genao has now reached safely twenty times across the twelve game games of his active on-base streak.

Alex Mooney (3B, Lake County): 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB - Mooney stole the 40th base of his first full professional season last night.

Juan Benjamin (3B, Lynchburg): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K - Benjamin got the Hillcats scoring started in the seventh on the team’s only extra-base hit of the game.

Welbyn Francisca (SS, Lynchburg): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K - With Jaison Chourio out for the season and Tommy Hawke’s on-base streak ending last night (as well as his baserunner streak), Francisca now has the Hillcats’ longest active streak at 15 games.

Sean Heppner (RP, Lynchburg): 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K - The longest of Heppner’s four professional outings so far was also easily his best as he held the opposition scoreless for the first time as a pro.

Since we're apparently in the Wait Until Next Year phase of the season, it's too bad the minor league season is almost over.
Good to see DeLauter looking really good in Columbus. Hard to see any down side of promoting him to Cleveland; not like there's any outfielder other than Noel who's producing any offense.
Walters with a shutout inning, no walks and 2 strikeouts, could be ready for a shot in the major league bullpen.

Keyfus's homer is nice to see him back to some offensive production again.
Ingle hasn't stop hitting whatever level he's at. If he's not ready defensively it's possible Cozart could beat him to Cleveland but he's just started his pro career.

Love Francisca and Genao's offense. I guess there are now at the top of the middle infield pool, or at least next behind Brito.

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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 8/28/24
Matthew Kennell
Aug 29


Scoreboard:
Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 7, Gwinnett Stripers 6
Double-A - Akron RubberDucks 4, Bowie Baysox 3
High-A - Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Lake County Captains 5
Single-A - Carolina Mudcats 7, Lynchburg Hillcats 3
Highlights:

Kyle Manzardo (1B, Columbus): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBIs, BB - The 24-year-old tallied six total bases with a double and two-run homerun when he deposited a 3-0 mistake pitch 414 feet into right center field. The ball was struck at over 105 mph off the bat and his double was nearly the same at 104 mph. 9-of-19 hits for Manzardo in the month of August have gone for extra-bases, including five homeruns.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Columbus): 2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBIs, SB - One of the top homerun distances and exit velocities of the day in all of Triple-A baseball belonged to Rodriguez after he swatted a ninth-inning homerun to provide a much-needed cushion when Gwinnett plated four in the bottom half of the frame. He is red hot with hits in four straight games and homeruns in three of those four contests.

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Bradley Hanner (RP, Akron): S (4), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 3 Ks - With no margin for error, Hanner was able to close out a one-run game by striking out the side. It is his fourth save of the year and he has not given up an earned run in exactly one month. On the season, Hanner has 56 K’s in 50.0 innings pitched and most of his appearances have come in high leverage situations.

Wuilfredo Antunez (RF, Lake County): 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs - Make it back-to-back game with a longball for Antunez and he has hits in all eight contests since being moved up from Lynchburg. His hit streak between Single-A and High-A has now reached 11 games. Furthermore, he has shown pop with five extra-base hits in as many games played during this stretch.
Notable Performances:

Triston McKenzie (SP, Columbus): W (3-3), 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 3 Ks, WP - McKenzie continues to have issues with his walks but was able to get into the sixth inning in Wednesday’s win. His fastball was up slightly at 93.5 mph on average and nearly saw 96 on the radar gun. The month of August has been feast or famine for the most part for the right-hander and this one lands somewhere in the middle.

Juan Brito (2B, Columbus): 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI - Brito had a multi-hit game as well for the Clippers in the meat of the order and his ground-rule double scored one early.

Chase DeLauter (DH, Columbus): 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs, BB - DeLauter hit an inside-the-park homerun in the first to get the game started right for Columbus but unfortunately left the game holding his right leg.

Tommy Mace (SP, Akron): W (8-5) 5.2 IP, 3 H, R, 3 BBs, 4 Ks, HBP - Mace has given up a homerun and three walks in three of his last four starts, but Wednesday’s performance was one of his better ones as the summer has gone on. He allowed just one earned run on the solo shot.

Tyresse Turner (LF, Akron): 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, SF - Turner had a pair of positive at-bats with an RBI double in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He has a run batted in in three of his last five games and has limited the number of strikeouts in the midst of a 14-game on-base spell.

Cooper Ingle (DH, Akron): 1-for-3, 2 BBs - Ingle was able to reach base three times in the game with two walks. He has drawn 60 walks compared to 47 strikeouts in 2024.

Angel Genao (SS, Lake County): 1-for-3, R, 2B, 2 BBs - His lone hit of the day went for a double and Genao would reach base three times in total with a pair of walks. He now has hits in five consecutive games with three doubles.

Maick Collado (1B, Lake County): 2-for-4, R, 2B - Collado was responsible for a couple of hits as well, including a double. He had just three hits in his last 29 at-bats going into today’s game.

Ryan Cesarini (LF, Lynchburg): 1-for-4, R, 3B, RBI - An RBI triple by the 2024 14th round selection was the lone Hillcat note in this game. He has reached base safely in all six games played as a professional.

OH NO NOT AGAIN : Chase DeLauter unfortunately left the game holding his right leg.

Lonnie Chisenhall's career was ended with a chronic calf injury. Sometimes these problems just do not go away.

yes, DeLauter is out of the lineup today.
Columbus season goes a couple of weeks so there is a chance he could return if for once his recovery is quick.

4th round pick LHP Rafe Schlesinger from U of Miami [Fla) debuts for Lynchburg today.

Not sure he's a signficant prospect but Ryan Webb has cracked the top 30 on most lists ofCLEprospects and his performance this year has been really solid
LHP he led the Arizona Fall League last year in strikeouts. Pitched quite well in Akron and has been just as impressive in Columbus, last night:
5 4 1 1 2 5 1.29 in 21 innings

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

AGE
25
BATS
L
DOB 04/19/1999
THROWS L HT 6' 1" WT 202
DRAFTED 2021, 4th (125) - CLE

ETA 2025

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Webb flashed second-round upside in his fourth college season at Georgia in 2021, highlighted by 13 strikeouts in a duel with Vanderbilt and No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter in April, but he blew out his elbow a month later and required Tommy John surgery. The Guardians drafted him in the fourth round and handled him with care in his first full pro season before turning him loose in 2023. He led the Arizona Fall League with 36 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings last offseason and is challenging for the lead in whiffs in the Double-A Eastern League this summer.

Webb's best offering is a plus upper-70s curveball with depth, though he uses it mainly against right-handers and less often than the other three average pitches in his arsenal. His fastball usually ranges form 91-94 mph and tops out at 96, lacking notable action but showing some carry when he locates it up in the zone. His low-80s slider has good depth and his low-80s changeup tumbles when it's on.

When he was in college, Webb's upright delivery and lack of durability led many scouts to project him as a reliever. He's doing a better job of getting down the mound and piling up innings as a pro, and his control and command continue to improve. He has a ceiling of a No. 4 or 5 starter with a fallback as a multi-inning lefty reliever who can get righties out.

Walters with a shutout inning 1 K. Scoreless in August 8 2/3 scorless innings 1 walk 10 K; lots of fly balls which is knd of risky

good day for Manzardo: his 20th homer and a couple of singles; he/s at 271 avg 959 OPS
Rodriguez 2 singles;

Ray Degaldo single and triple 290 from the start of May, a utility IF LH hittter, could be the next Schneemann?

Messick 4 2/3 5 2 1 4 5
Ingle 2 singles

Bazzana with a pair of doubles, that gives him 7 in 74 at bats
Mooney 2 singles and his 41st steal: after a very solid start his offense has greatly tailed off, avg is at 236 near season's end

Schlesinger debut yesterday just 2 innings 1 hit 2 strikeouts.

Here is his predraft analysis

School: Miami
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade: 45/High
Tools: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 45.

Schlesinger is a sidearming lefthander who spent two seasons in the bullpen with Miami before moving into a starting role for the 2024 season where he posted a 5.83 ERA over 78.2 innings and 15 starts. Listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Schlesinger has a solid pitcher’s frame but creates uncomfortable at-bats and gets unique angles on hitters thanks to his lower attack angle. After pitching in the upper 80s and touching 94 in 2023, Schlesinger’s fastball velocity was up significantly in the 2024 season. He averaged 92-93 mph with his fastball and ran the pitch up to 97. It’s a two-seam fastball that features plenty of arm-side running action out of that low arm slot and should allow him to induce plenty of ground balls. His go-to secondary is a mid-80s slider with sweeping action that he has done a nice job keeping down in the zone and uses at a heavy clip against both lefties and righties. Schlesinger does throw an occasional mid-80s changeup but he often misses with the pitch to his arm side and uses it only about 5% of the time. Schlesinger took a step forward with his control this spring and managed a career-best 6.7% walk rate, which is encouraging for his future starter chances, though his lack of a confident third offering for righthanded matchups means a reliever role could still be in the cards.

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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 8/29/24
Manzardo goes yardo again
Justin Lada
Aug 30






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Scoreboard:
Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 5, Gwinnett Stripers 4
Double-A - Akron RubberDucks 3, Bowie Baysox 2
High-A - Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Lake County Captains 2
Single-A - Carolina Mudcats 2, Lynchburg Hillcats 1
Highlights:

Kyle Manzardo (1B, Columbus): 3-5, HR, 2 RBI - Mazardo has been scorching hot this week. He was having a very mild August performance until lately, only really drawing walks to keep his offensive production intact. But in the last few days, Manzardo has a pair of homers at 105 MPH and a few other hits in the same range. He’s hitting the ball as hard as ever, consistently this week. There are few, if any, reasons why he shouldn’t be back in the Guardians locker room come Sunday.

Ryan Webb (SP, Columbus): 5IP, 4H, ER, 2BB, 5K - Webb had another solid performance in Triple-A. While his fastball continues to sit around the 89-92 mark down from times of 92-94, his changeup continues to baffle Triple-A hitters. Cleveland has had numerous pitchers over the years hit some walls in Triple-A upon promotion, but Webb has not and that’s encouraging. You hope that the drop in fastball velo is more of a late season tired arm, as Webb is well past his career innings high now, and he will get it back next year. But the fact his performance hasn’t fallen off is a good sign. We’re getting to the point with Webb now where he should be a lock for 40 man protection.

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Andrew Walters (RP, Columbus): IP, K - Another scoreless, hitless, and walkless outing for Walters. Since July 1, Walters has 26 strikeouts and just five walks in 18 innings and three runs allowed (all in one outing). He appears to be well over his initial adjustment to Triple-A. The question is did Cleveland save any of his bullets lately for September/October in Cleveland? Even if he is not initially called up on Sunday, I wouldn’t necessarily rule out a callup at sometimes in September. Remember that the Triple-A season runs as long as the MLB season now to help with depth staying ready.

Franco Aleman (RP, Columbus): 0.1IP, K - Why is a reliever that got one out in the highlight section? Well he threw 10 pitches to get one out, but they were all 96-98, showing that Aleman looks to be ramping back up after his velo was sitting a bit lower coming back from his lat strain and it’s still in there, which is a good sign. I don’t know about a September callup at this point, but too much risk in a potential hard throwing reliever to expose to the Rule 5 who would almost assuredly get taken. So he’s a near 40 man lock I would think.

Jorge Burgos (RF, Akron): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI - Burgos has had an interesting power surge this year. He does a lot of chasing and missing, but he can impact the baseball when he makes contact.

Travis Bazzana (2B, Lake County): 2-4, 2 2B, K - Two hard ripped doubles for Bazzana in this one, 102 and 106 off the bat. About 11 games now since Bazzana started to play back to backs, and here he played three games in a row for the second time. In those last 11 games, he’s hitting .310/.396/.524 with a homer and six doubles, three steals, eight strikeouts compared to four walks.

Yorman Gomez (SP, Lake County): 5.2IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 5K - A solid, yet unspectacular line. Gomez has shown some impressive flashes so far in his High-A stint. He’s about 91-94 with the fastball (thanks, Mike) and has an overhand curve with a decent changeup, so there are some interesting tools here for Gomez, who is on the shorter side for a starter.

Rafe Schlesinger (SP, Lynchburg): 2IP, 2K - The Guardians 4th rounder in 2024 made his pro debut here, throwing 36 pitches in two innings and earning two strikeouts.
Notable Performances:

Johnathan Rodriguez (DH, Columbus): 2-4 - Rodriguez has been also hammering the ball this week. Exit velo’s have never been an issue for Rodriguez, it’s more about pitch recognition and selection.

Cooper Ingle (C, Akron): 2-4, RBI - Just two singles but Ingle continues to rack up hits and get on base. Zero adjustment period for him at Double-A now.

Alex Mooney (3B, Lake County): 2-4 - Mooney isn’t quite hitting the baseball as hard now as he was early in the year. He might be wearing down some, but he’s picked things up with the bat more recently.

Wuilfredo Antunez (RF, Lake County): 2-4, SB - Antunez continues to impress early in his Lake County stint, finding plenty of hits and running the bases.

Donovan Zsak (RP, Lynchburg): 1.2IP, R, BB, 2K - Zsak did have a disengagement violation but retired five batters and fanned two as his first year continues.