The Cleveland Guardians took Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
It was the first time in franchise history they took from the No. 1 spot, and they sure made it count: in Bazzana, they are adding a player with a rock-solid floor and immense upside.
He is so good and highly regarded that he will likely force a two-time Gold Glove award winner, Andres Gimenez, to move out of his position once he is ready for The Show.
Guardians officials have stated that they fell in love with his overall skillset on the field, but also with his personality, fire, and competitiveness.
In the end, these are traits that can be tiebreakers when a team is interested in similarly talented players.
Bazzana, on the other hand, is really excited to join the Guardians, a team that is currently first in the AL Central division and is a piece or two away from being true World Series contenders.
According to a tweet from Bally Sports Cleveland, the young infielder is ecstatic and thrilled to join the Guards,
“Travis Bazzana is impressed by what he’s seen from this @CleGuardians team and organization,” they tweeted, with some of his quotes.
Travis Bazzana is impressed by what he's seen from this @CleGuardians team and organization.#ForTheLand | #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/gcuv7WLg60
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) July 18, 2024
With his exotic Australian accent, Bazzana stated that he knows he is going to “a quality environment” with people that “play the game with fire”.
It’s unlikely, but there is actually a small chance that Bazzana will make his MLB debut this year and helps in the stretch run.
In any case, he projects as an All-Star when he is fully developed.
The Guards are really lucky to have him.
NEXT: Guardians Analyst Explains What The Team Will Get In Travis Bazzana
