Is It Time To Be Worried About Travis Bazzana’s Power?

Travis Bazzana participated in last month’s All-Star Game. At that point, he was one of the most impressive rookies in the American League, finally giving the Cleveland Guardians a long-term answer at second base.

To this day, that remains the case: Bazzana represents the future at the keystone for the organization. However, his production has been mediocre for weeks, and there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging it. We all know he can be much, much better than his current version.

As of Monday, the former No. 1 draft pick is slashing .241/.338/.386 with nine home runs, 17 stolen bases, and a 107 wRC+ in 86 games and 370 plate appearances. Yes, he has been above the league average offensively, but his performance has been a bit underwhelming since an impressive May in which he posted a 151 wRC+.

The lack of power in recent weeks has been a bit concerning. Bazzana was never going to be a 40-homer guy, but he has a highly disappointing .292 slugging percentage since the start of August, a .339 mark since the start of July, and a .352 since the start of June. That’s certainly worse than what the Guardians and fans had in mind for him after watching him dominate during May.

The infielder has just one extra-base hit, a double, in his last 17 games and 70 plate appearances. During that span, from July 21 to August 9 (Sunday), the rookie has a horrible .237 slugging percentage.

Bazzana has never ceased getting walks, and that has kept him playable for manager Stephen Vogt. At some point, however, he will need to start showing something at the plate, specifically some power.

Bazzana remains a highly talented hitter and one of the hardest-working players on the team. He has the desire and the drive to be better every day, so he will continue to look for potential weaknesses in his game and work to improve.

At this point, however, it’s fair to say he has been struggling at the plate for a bit, particularly at getting positive outcomes when he swings the bat.

The young second baseman is good enough to adjust and go on an impressive run at any point, though. Don’t count him out, as he can shock the world with his raw talent.