The Cleveland Guardians left the MLB Draft with a much-improved farm system.
They made several solid selections and made an emphasis to strengthen their pitching corps in the first ten rounds.
Their very first selection, however, was a position player: second baseman Travis Bazzana from Oregon State.
Bazzana was long viewed as the favorite to be that No. 1 pick in the draft, and the Guards made it happen despite players such as JJ Wetherholt and Charlie Condon soaring through most boards.
It’s obvious that the Guards are getting an extremely talented baseball player: the Australian is athletic, powerful, speedy, and determined.
In 60 games for Oregon State, he posted an incredible 1.479 OPS and homered 28 times, with 16 stolen bases and a .407 batting average.
Guardians analyst Jensen Lewis, however, explained what Cleveland will get with him when it comes to personality traits, as tweeted here by the BIGPLAY Cleveland Show.
What are the Guardians really getting in Travis Bazzana? #ForTheLand
"You love the fire and the tenacity."
–@JLEWFifty dives in ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lOdurzJMBP
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) July 18, 2024
“Cleveland fans are really happy with the first overall selection. They got it right,” Lewis said, who also praised Bazzana’s “willingness to come in and be an impact guy.”
He reminded people that the Aussie explained “he wants to be here for the stretch run and be a part of a pennant race.”
That shows the hunger and desire he has to be successful from Day One.
“His personality was his calling card,” Lewis said about Bazzana, and it’s evident that this is a determined, focused young player who also happens to be extremely talented on a baseball field.
Nobody knows if he will really be called up at some point in August or September, but Bazzana should be a regular by the second half of the 2025 campaign at the latest if he plays like he did in college.
NEXT: Guardians Lead MLB In Prominent Defensive Stat Heading Into Second Half
