It took a while for Travis Bazzana to get going after being promoted to the major leagues. But now that the Cleveland Guardians’ second baseman has found his footing, he is showing everyone why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
With two hits in Cleveland’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, Bazzana pushed his batting average to .240 in his 15 games played. That is even more impressive when you consider he went 0-for-12 to begin his MLB career, starting with his debut on April 28.
Now, Bazzana is heating up for the Guardians, with consecutive multi-hit games and a .293 average since that slow start.
“Back to back multi-hit games for Bazzana. Cleveland Guardians 23-year-old (2B) Travis Bazzana collected a pair of hits tonight (2-5 R RBI) driving in a run vs the Reds. Last 12 games: 12-41 6R 1(2B) 1HR 7RBI 8BB 7SB. AVG .293,” Guardians Prospective posted.
Back to back multi-hit games for Bazzana.
Cleveland #Guardians 23yr old (2B) Travis Bazzana collected a pair of hits tonight (2-5 R RBI) driving in a run vs the Reds.
Last 12 games:
12-41 6R 1(2B) 1HR 7RBI 8BB 7SB
AVG .293
OBP .431#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/4EsoIciogR— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 16, 2026
Bazzana’s overall .406 on-base percentage is noteworthy as it shows the excellent approach he has at the plate as a young player. The 23-year-old has a historic 12 walks with just nine strikeouts, and his chase rate is among the most disciplined in the majors.
Those skills have generated talk that he will be the Guardians’ leadoff hitter of the future, and that the future may come sooner rather than later. Usual leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is having the worst offensive season of his five-year MLB career, so the Guardians could make a change to try to give their sputtering offense a jump. Manager Stephen Vogt already made the bold move of using Jose Ramirez as the No. 2 batter after the perennial MVP candidate batted third for the entire season.
With his fiery personality, once Bazzana gets on base, he becomes a weapon with his ability to steal. After a streak of three in five games earlier this month, he has seven stolen bases on the season and has not been caught once.
Bazzana has just one home run in his 50 at-bats, so it also may benefit Cleveland to move him to the top of the order. Most of his plate appearances have come batting sixth or seventh.
Overall, he is confirming what all the hype was about and showing that he will be a fixture in the Guardians’ lineup, no matter where he’s placed, for years to come.
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