The day has finally arrived for Travis Bazzana and the Cleveland Guardians. The second baseman has been promoted from Triple-A and is expected to make his MLB debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Tremendous expectations have been attached to Bazzana ever since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. As one of the top overall prospects in baseball, he will now get the chance to show what he can do in the major leagues.
However, analyst Ben Weinrib is pushing back on the expectations for Bazzana, pointing out that top picks in the draft have not fared well recently.
“How will Bazzana fare compared to his stacked class of 2024 draftees? It’s too soon to know for sure. Being a first overall pick is no guarantee of success. Adley Rutschman is the only hitter in the past decade to go No. 1 who has become a consistent MLB contributor. There’s still time, but Spencer Torkelson, Henry Davis and Jackson Holliday have been up and down, while Royce Lewis has been hurt and Mickey Moniak has served as more of a backup,” Weinrib wrote.
Bazzana has taken a bit longer than other members of his draft class to make it to the majors, with his brief minor league career limited by a series of oblique injuries after being selected out of Oregon State University. He will be the 10th first-round pick from the 2024 draft to make his MLB debut, according to ESPN, and the eighth position player, joining Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (No. 4), Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone (No. 6), St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (No. 7), Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore (No. 8), Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (No. 9), Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith (No. 14), and New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge (No. 19).
The emergence of other players, particularly Kurtz, who hit 36 home runs last season, and Griffin, who recently signed a lucrative contract extension, has raised some questions about Cleveland’s decision to draft Bazzana ahead of them. Now, he will have a chance to prove those doubters wrong.
Bazzana had a slash line of .287/.422/.511 with two home runs, 10 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 24 games for Columbus, so he is in good form as he joins the Guardians as their potential leadoff hitter. With Brayan Rocchio having a breakout offensive season after moving to shortstop, this promotion could leave Gabriel Arias on the bench when he returns from the injured list.
The Guardians decided to accelerate Bazzana’s MLB service time by calling him up now, so he is likely here to stay.
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