Fantasy baseball prospect watch: Is Cleveland ready for a new catcher?

Cooper Ingle may not be quite the top catching prospect in the minor leagues, but Cleveland’s fourth round pick in the 2023 amateur draft may be best poised to help fantasy managers for months this season. In fact, a promotion may be coming soon. Ingle, a left-handed hitter, smacked a pair of home runs on Sunday as Triple-A Columbus topped Iowa, knocking in four runs and raising his OPS to an outstanding 1.403 in the process. Ingle is batting .357/.617/.786 through 13 games (47 PA), with four homers, 12 RBI and a relevant 18 walks versus nine strikeouts.

The AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, meanwhile, are dealing with starting catcher Bo Naylor and his .156/.224/.244 line (15 games, 49 PA). While his .176 BABIP should normalize, Naylor, 26, has never been much of a hitter. He hit .195/.282/.379 last season in 414 PA and .201/.264/.350 in 2024. Veteran Austin Hedges (with a career .186/.244/.313 line) is the backup, although David Fry can appear behind the plate on occasion, too.

Perhaps fantasy managers in ESPN standard formats, with only one active catching spot and ample backstops to choose from, can avoid prospects at this position, but those in deeper formats should not. Baltimore Orioles C Samuel Basallo (.140/.234/.290) will hit and rejoin ESPN teams. Kansas City Royals C Carter Jensen (.237/.303/.508) is hitting. Sometimes catchers can do more harm to a fantasy roster than good, but the reliable run producers can also be invaluable.

Ingle, who hit only .207/.383/.329 over 28 games (107 PA) at Columbus last season, has always been an enticing on-base option with modest power, though scouts expect him to develop more slugging. With all respect to Naylor, it seems clear that Ingle would be an offensive upgrade in Cleveland. The Guardians rarely panic, but Ingle may be promoted soon. Plus, with his elite on-base skills for points formats, a potential top-10 fantasy catcher lurks.

Stock up

Didier Fuentes, RHP, Atlanta Braves: Fuentes, 20, made Atlanta’s Opening Day roster and handled the Royals during a four-inning relief outing. The organization subsequently sent him to Triple-A Gwinnett in order to start games. He now boasts a 2.16 ERA, an 0.86 WHIP and a 32% strikeout rate over three starts and 16 2/3 innings. Teammate RHP JR Ritchie, 22, meanwhile, leads the International League with a 0.99 ERA over five starts. Atlanta’s rotation lacks opportunity this week, especially with RHP Spencer Strider (oblique) nearing his 2026 debut, but fantasy managers will hear from both Fuentes and Ritchie this season.

James Tibbs III, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers: Tibbs, 23, leads the minor leagues with nine home runs, posting a .282/.380/.682 line for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The No. 13 selection in the 2023 amateur draft by the San Francisco Giants (then routed to the Boston Red Sox and, ultimately, the Dodgers), Tibbs is striking out at a high 32% rate. However, this can be forgiven if his isolated power continues to flirt with the .400 range.

The Dodgers, of course, have no room on their roster for an outfield prospect — and Tibbs isn’t even their best one! Zyhir Hope, 21, hitting .291/.333/.491 for Double-A Tulsa, might be, or perhaps it is Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero or Josue De Paula. It’s ridiculous! Anyway, watch Tibbs develop. Perhaps he evolves like New York Yankees power prospect Spencer Jones? Perhaps not.

Braden Montgomery, OF, Chicago White Sox: Montgomery, 23, is off to a serious start at Double-A Birmingham, hitting .358/.456/.755 with four home runs through 15 games and 68 PA. One of the prizes of the Garrett Crochet trade with Boston, Montgomery hit only one home run over 34 games and 143 PA at the same level last season, so this is exciting improvement. Unlike Tibbs, Hope and myriad other Dodgers, the White Sox aren’t winning a thousand games this season and there are few big-leaguers blocking the top prospects. Montgomery should move up to Triple-A Charlotte soon and he may even debut in the majors this season.

Stock down

Aidan Miller, SS, Philadelphia Phillies: Miller, 21, might already be in the majors if he wasn’t still dealing with lower back soreness — an affliction he has dealt with for more than two months. Current Phillies 3B Alec Bohm is a pending free agent and hitting an uninspiring .139/.213/.194 through 80 PA — so there is opportunity. Still, it’s hard to see how Miller, who hasn’t swung a bat in months, will make his debut before June.

Miller, the organization’s top pick in 2023, hit .264/.392/.433 with 14 home runs and 59 stolen bases over 116 games and 526 PA at two minor league levels last season. While the Phillies already have a shortstop, they believe Miller can handle third base — Bohm isn’t exactly a Gold Glove option there, you know. Keep Miller, when healthy, on the fantasy radar this summer. Still, it may be a while.

Jhostynxon Garcia, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates: Garcia, 23, was quite the popular preseason sleeper after the offseason trade from Boston because, well, the Pirates were desperate for power. Garcia did hit .405/.463/.595 this spring, but he was blocked by the frustrating Marcell Ozuna signing and sent to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he is batting just .158/.186/.175 through 14 games and 59 PA. He is currently on the IL due to lower back tightness. Don’t bet on the resurgent Pirates, who tend to slot all their veteran outfielders and DH into the top five spots of their lineup, being in too much of a rush to promote Garcia to Pittsburgh.