Guardians make exciting position change with two red-hot, MLB-ready prospects 

While Cooper Ingle and Ralphy Velazquez stand out as two of the top position player prospects in the Cleveland Guardians’ minor league system, they also don’t have clear paths to big league playing time thanks to their defensive positions. 

But that may have changed over the weekend, as both Ingle (a catcher) and Velazquez (a first baseman) started in left field at Triple-A Columbus.

Even though this isn’t the first time the Guardians have tried to turn a promising position player prospect into an outfielder, this situation feels a bit different given how promising Ingle and Velazquez’s future looks. 

Cooper Ingle and Ralphy Velazquez played in the outfield at Triple-A over the weekend

Velazquez working in the outfield is the more surprising development of the two considering he’s just 21 and has only been in Triple-A for two weeks. 

He’s no stranger to a position change (the Guardians moved him from catcher to first base almost immediately after drafting him) but learning the outfield is a completely different animal.

He recorded three putouts in the outfield during his lone start there in Triple-A and now has 22 games in the outfield under his belt in the minors. 

He’s following the same path that CJ Kayfus did last year, as he learned the outfield to get to the big league roster since Kyle Manzardo and Carlos Santana were entrenched at first base. Now it’s Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins. 

Velazquez has slashed .235/.316/.324 in nine games since being recalled to Triple-A. 

Meanwhile, Ingle has a bit more experience in the outfield considering he played there some in the minor leagues. His first start in left came on Sunday and he recorded a bit of a tough luck error when his throw from left hit off the sliding Andrew Navigato and careened to the backstop. 

Still, the Guardians don’t need him to be perfect on the grass (especially since he’d be a corner outfielder). 

His bat may end up forcing that issue. Ingle’s enter the week slashing .319/.436/.619 with nine home runs, 32 RBI and 33 walks. 

The Guardians may have the best defensive catching tandem in Austin Hedges and Patrick Bailey, but neither of them provide much on offense. Ingle’s the exact opposite of that. 

Both players learning the outfield still doesn't make them a lock to make the roster, however. Daniel Schnemann already has the super utility role down and David Fry can also play the outfield and catcher. 

Petey Halpin has a pretty tenuous hold on the fourth outfielder spot, so the Guardians could easily add either player to their 26-man roster (even if the fit wouldn’t be perfect). 

The Guardians have shown some aggressiveness with some of their other top position player prospects across the past 10 months. Could Ingle and Velazquez be next? 

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