The Cleveland Guardians had the luxury of picking first in the 2024 MLB Draft.
They took Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana and didn’t look back.
The talented Australian succeeded in his first professional assignment with the Lake County Captains of High-A.
He posted a 126 wRC+, which means he was 26 percent better than the league-average player offensively.
He showed that there are still parts of his game that need refinement, but overall, he was as good as expected with his .238/.369/.396 line in 122 trips to the plate.
He homered three times and stole five bases, walking in 13.9 percent of his plate appearances and striking out in 25.4 percent.
Despite the elevated strikeout rate, the Guardians are trusting him with a promotion to the high minors, specifically Double-A.
Guards Insider recently posted the rosters for Cleveland’s Double-A, High-A and Single-A affiliates.
Here are the rosters for Akron, Lake County, and Lynchburg. pic.twitter.com/ap296GIDpk
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) March 28, 2025
There, you can see Bazzana’s name among the position players of the Akron RubberDucks.
Bazzana has power, speed and a willingness to take walks that boosts his OBP.
However, his glove isn’t perfect and he is prone to strikeouts.
The organization will be watching those two skills closely, as they are the ones that will likely determine if the talented second baseman has a shot at a late-season cup of coffee or if he is more of a 2026 project.
He remains Cleveland’s second baseman of the future, and his Double-A assignment is positive for his development.
It will be up to him to prove the Guardians right.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Updated Rotation After Opening Day Shuffle
