Cleveland Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana has already been notified that he will start the season in the minor leagues, specifically in Triple-A Columbus. Everything indicates he is ready for the majors right now, but the Guards are motivated to wait until May or June to bring him up.
If they wait until then, they would gain an extra year of control and avoid the ‘Super Two’ status that would allow the player, in this case Bazzana, to enter arbitration after their second year of service in the league and not the third, as is the usual practice.
Service time implications are probably the only reason why Bazzana will open the year in Columbus, because, despite his less-than-stellar defense, he is probably the best middle infielder on the Guardians already.
Guardians insiders Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes have been impressed by Bazzana’s skills in camp and see the makings of a blue-chip prospect who will carry the Guardians for years to come. He will need to play somewhere when he arrives, though, so Gabriel Arias has been the most widely discussed name among those with a chance of losing his place in the organization.
Both Brayan Rocchio and Arias had a 77 wRC+ last year, but the former is a much better defender and actually played well in the second half after returning from a demotion to Triple-A in early July.
Arias’ defense has been a problem this spring, as he has racked up four miscues in 15 games at shortstop. A healthy 126 wRC+ indicates that offensive performance has been there in the Cactus League, but he will need to carry over that success to the regular season, or he risks losing his spot when Bazzana arrives.
“Arias better have a tremendous start to the season,” Noga said. “Otherwise, the drumbeat for Travis Bazzana to get called up sometime by the end of May, maybe early June, is going to get louder and louder.”
Basically, since both Rocchio and Arias can play the two middle infield positions, they will be competing to see who retains his spot in the lineup. Right now, the former has a leg up because of his superior glove, penchant for producing in the clutch, and second-half improvements last year.
That doesn’t mean Arias can’t make up some ground and level the field if he finally breaks out, though. Still, he is the one feeling the most pressure.
Regardless of how Arias and Rocchio are performing, Bazzana will be up this year, and he will be up to play second base. Someone has to go to make room for him.
NEXT: Analyst Predicts Big Things For Guardians Trio
