Clemson Professional Athletes

The Headliner: Cooper Ingle Takes International League MVP

Clemson's most buzzworthy MLB prospect just put a bow on a landmark minor league season. Catcher Cooper Ingle, Cleveland's top prospect, was named the 2026 International League MVP — an honor that arrived the same weekend the Guardians clinched the AL Central title on Sept. 26, giving the organization a double reason to celebrate.

The award caps a dominant campaign for the 2022 Clemson product, who has emerged as one of the more exciting catching prospects in the game. With Cleveland's big league roster already built around winning now, Ingle's path to the majors is sharpening into focus: a 2027 debut looks not just plausible but likely. For Tiger fans who watched him develop in Clemson's program, this is the moment the arrow has been pointing toward.

Ingle's recognition also reflects well on an organization that has consistently developed talent from the ground up. Landing an IL MVP is no small feat — the league is routinely one of the most competitive Triple-A circuits in affiliated baseball.

Bubba Chandler's Rough but Revealing Rookie Year

In Pittsburgh, fellow Clemson alum Bubba Chandler wrapped a turbulent 2026 rookie season with the Pirates, though the right-hander is choosing to frame it as a learning experience. Chandler encountered the kind of adversity that often defines a young pitcher's development arc. According to Sports Illustrated, Chandler remains optimistic heading into the offseason — a mindset that will matter considerably as he works to establish himself in Pittsburgh's rotation picture.

The Pirates' rebuilding timeline gives Chandler room to grow, and his raw stuff has never been in question. Whether 2027 brings a more settled role will depend on what he takes from a 2026 season that clearly tested him.

Around the Diamond

A handful of other Clemson-connected players saw action in the final week of the regular season. Outfielder Bryce Teodosio appeared in multiple games for the Angels in their season-closing series against Seattle, going 2-for-4 with a run scored in one contest and adding a hit with two RBI in another, finishing the year hitting .197. Mariners infielder Weston Wilson contributed a run and an RBI across the series against Los Angeles, closing out his season at .206. Reds pitcher Carson Spiers threw two innings against Toronto on Sept. 27, allowing one earned run while striking out one, finishing his year with a 7.50 ERA.

None of those lines will draw much attention as the calendar flips to October — but for Clemson's alumni base, the week ultimately belongs to Ingle. An International League MVP is a program-defining moment, the kind of individual hardware that validates a recruit, a development staff, and years of work compressed into one season. The Guardians now head into the postseason knowing their catching future is in very capable hands.

Eli White's Year Is Over Before It Could Begin in Boston

The timing couldn't be crueler. Clemson alumnus Eli White, acquired by the Boston Red Sox from Atlanta in an August trade, will not see the postseason after undergoing Lisfranc repair surgery on his right foot. The Red Sox confirmed the procedure this week, and while no official recovery timeline was provided, MassLive's reporting makes clear his 2026 season is finished.

White, 32, had spent parts of four seasons with the Braves organization before Atlanta shipped him to Boston in exchange for reliever Tyler Uberstine. The move was supposed to give White a fresh start and a shot at October baseball. Instead, he landed on the 10-day injured list shortly after arriving and never got back on the field. A Lisfranc injury — a notoriously punishing ligament tear in the midfoot — requires significant rehabilitation, and the Red Sox made no attempt to suggest he'd be available in any capacity down the stretch.

It's a brutal end to what should have been a meaningful chapter. White is a seven-year MLB veteran who carved out a role as a versatile outfield and utility piece. The surgery closes the book on 2026 entirely.

---

Around the Diamond

White wasn't the only Tiger in action this week. A few other Clemson alumni made noise — with mixed results.

Carson Spiers got a significant opportunity with Cincinnati after the Reds selected his contract from Triple-A Louisville to fill the roster spot created by Chase Burns hitting the IL. Spiers made the most of his spot-start Sunday against the Cubs — in terms of strikeouts, at least. He punched out five batters over four innings, but allowed four earned runs and absorbed an ugly 9-1 loss. His ERA sits at 9.00 on the season, so the results remain inconsistent, but the late-season callup signals the organization still sees big-league value in the right-hander.

Bubba Chandler had a rough outing Friday for Pittsburgh in Detroit, surrendering six earned runs in 2.2 innings during an 8-7 Pirates loss. His ERA now sits at 4.62. It was a step backward for the young arm after what had been a promising developmental season in the Pittsburgh system.

On the position player side, Bryce Teodosio provided one of the week's quieter bright spots. The Angels outfielder went 1-for-the-day on Friday with two RBI in a 6-4 win over Seattle, and chipped in a run scored Saturday. He's hitting .194 on the season — nothing to write home about — but has shown flashes of production late in the year.

Weston Wilson appeared in multiple games for Seattle, picking up a run scored Saturday in a 5-7 loss to the Angels. He's hitting .206 on the season and has been a steady if unspectacular presence in the Mariners' lineup as the year winds down.

---

The headline, though, belongs to White. A mid-season trade, a ligament surgery, and a postseason watch from the couch — it's not the story anyone in Boston or Tiger Country was hoping to tell.

Weston Wilson Steals the Show in Franchise History

Weston Wilson didn't just have a good game — he had a historic one. The Clemson product went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI as the Seattle Mariners demolished the Oakland Athletics 19-1 on September 13, the largest margin of victory in Mariners franchise history. Wilson was one of five Seattle hitters to record at least three hits on the afternoon, turning what has been a frustrating offensive season into a brief, emphatic showcase of what the lineup can do.

It's worth putting the individual performance in context: a 5-for-6 line in any game is elite. In a franchise-record blowout, it's the kind of outing that gets remembered. For Wilson, who was hitting .217 entering the game, it was a reminder of his ceiling as a hitter and a bright spot in an otherwise inconsistent offensive year in Seattle.

Wilson's week didn't sustain that peak — he went 1-for-4 in a loss to the Angels on the 15th, drew a walk in a win on the 17th, and closed the week with the Mariners edging the Rockies 5-4 on the 19th — but the box score from Saturday the 13th was the story of the week for Clemson alumni across MLB.

Chandler Grinding Through September for Pittsburgh

Bubba Chandler has been a reliable presence in the Pirates' rotation down the stretch, even if the results have been mixed. The Clemson righty made two starts during the period. On September 13, he gave Pittsburgh 5.1 innings against the Cubs, allowing three earned runs and striking out three in a 4-3 Pittsburgh win. He followed that up on September 19 with a 4-inning outing against the Royals, punching out six batters but again yielding three earned runs in a 6-5 Pirates victory.

The ERA sits at 4.34, which isn't flashy, but Chandler has continued to eat innings and give Pittsburgh a chance to win games — both starts this week ended with a Pirates victory. For a 23-year-old working through his first extended big-league run, that's a reasonable return.

Eli White Sidelined in Boston

The week brought tougher news for Eli White. The Clemson outfielder suffered a foot injury that knocked him off the Red Sox roster ahead of Boston's playoff push, prompting the club to recall Anthony Seigler as a fill-in. White had been contributing during a stretch that lifted Boston into contention, making the timing particularly painful. No timetable for his return was specified.

The contrast within the Clemson MLB alumni pool this week was sharp: Wilson authored one of the individual performances of the entire MLB week, Chandler continued his steady if unspectacular stretch run, and White watched from the injured list as the Red Sox fought for a postseason spot without him. All three storylines are worth tracking as the regular season approaches its finish.