This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- One of the prevailing storylines for the Guardians this season has been the contributions of up-and-coming position players such as Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter, Angel Martínez and Brayan Rocchio. Also compelling is the rising talent in the Minor Leagues.
First baseman Ralphy Velazquez and catcher Cooper Ingle are among the Cleveland prospects who are one step away from the Majors, and this past weekend featured an interesting wrinkle in their developmental pathways. Velazquez (Saturday) and Ingle (Sunday) each drew a start in left field with Triple-A Columbus.
The Guardians philosophically embrace positional versatility. As Velazquez (who’s ranked as Cleveland’s No. 3 prospect and No. 58 overall by MLB Pipeline) and Ingle (No. 4, No. 72) continue to enjoy a strong season in the Minors, enhancing their versatility could open another avenue for them to reach the Majors this summer.
“As we've seen at the Major League level,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said, “the more positions guys can play capably, the more chances they have to impact us up here. We just don't know where those opportunities are going to come, so we try to have guys play a number of positions in Triple-A to prepare for that.”
Playing some outfield with Columbus going forward is an option for Velazquez and Ingle, who have each swung a hot bat this season. Velazquez entered Tuesday slashing .302/.396/.520 over 45 games with Double-A Akron and Columbus. He’s hit 12 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and tallied 31 RBIs with 25 walks and 39 strikeouts.
The Guardians promoted Velazquez to Columbus on May 18, and he just turned 21 on Thursday. In his first nine games with the Clippers, he went 8-for-34 (.235) with three doubles, three walks, eight strikeouts and a .640 OPS.
Ingle opened the season with Columbus, to which he was promoted from Akron on Aug. 10 in 2025. In 35 games this season, the 24-year-old has slashed .319/.469/.619, with five doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 32 walks with 30 strikeouts.
The Guardians always balance a prospect’s performance with the playing time available in the Majors when considering a big league callup. Velazquez and Ingle have hit well, and increasing their versatility could be key given Cleveland’s current big league depth chart.
The Guardians’ first base mix includes Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins. The club has three catchers in Austin Hedges, Patrick Bailey and David Fry, who also can play corner infield and corner outfield.
Cleveland selected Velazquez in the first round of the 2023 Draft as a catcher, though he has largely played first base professionally (210 of his 273 career starts). He has also drawn 42 starts at DH, 20 in left field (including three across the Minors this season) and one behind the plate (in ‘23).
Ingle has made 192 of his 258 career starts in the Minors at catcher, along with 65 at DH and one in left. The outfield, however, is not unfamiliar territory for the 2023 fourth-round Draft pick, who made 23 appearances in right field and 15 in left during his collegiate career at Clemson.
The Guardians ask a lot out of their catchers from a gameplanning and strategy standpoint, and they have three veterans in the Majors whom they trust. A central focus for Ingle (who offensively could be ready for the next challenge) this season has been improving defensively. Cleveland is encouraged by the developmental strides he continues to make.
Alternatively, the Guardians are encouraged by the strides Columbus catcher Kody Huff has made offensively this year. Over 46 games with Columbus, the 25-year-old has slashed .297/.397/.515 with 11 doubles and seven home runs. Huff is also working on his versatility. He has made 21 starts at catcher, 16 at first base and four at third with the Clippers this season.
Versatility is widespread on the Guardians’ big league roster. Even Steven Kwan (who’s a four-time AL Gold Glove Award winner in left field) has added center field to his responsibilities this season.
Part of the logic behind that move this spring was that Cleveland could maximize its lineups offensively more frequently, given it had many up-and-coming corner outfield options vying for playing time such as Martínez, DeLauter, CJ Kayfus and George Valera. Down the road, perhaps we see that strategy gain new meaning if Velazquez and Ingle continue to emerge as outfield options.
“All of those guys [in the Minors] are getting some versatility because we're trying to prepare them for wherever those opportunities might be up here,” Antonetti said.