Travis Bazzana has played just 12 games in the major leagues, and he has already made a huge impact on the Cleveland Guardians. The former No. 1 draft pick is showing that he was ready for The Show all along, probably since last year, and is producing some amazing stats.
On Sunday, he showcased his incredible patience and plate discipline once again. In fact, he made franchise history with his two walks.
“Bazzana went 1-for-2 with two walks. He has now drawn 12 free passes through his first 11 career big league games, joining Milt Galatzer (13 in 1933) as the only players in franchise history to pull off that feat,” team insider Tim Stebbins wrote.
In his most recent game, on Monday, he hit a double and added two more walks to his stat line.
Bazzana is a talented hitter who should be able to approach 20-homer power at his peak. He is also a speedy, savvy baserunner, as his seven stolen bases attest. However, his best attribute might be his ability to draw walks.
In modern baseball, a walk is extremely valuable because it gets people on base. It has always been a good outcome for a hitter, but it’s more appreciated in today’s game than in the past.
Bazzana rarely chases pitches outside of the zone and dares pitchers to either come up with something hittable or risk putting him on base. And once he is on, he wreaks havoc: between Triple-A and MLB, the speedy second baseman has stolen 15 bases and has been caught just twice.
Bazzana makes a lot of sense as the Guardians’ leadoff hitter at the moment, with Steven Kwan struggling. His .423 OBP would look phenomenal at the top of the lineup, setting the table for Chase DeLauter, Jose Ramirez, and the other sluggers on the team.
It’s a change that has to be on manager Stephen Vogt’s mind, even if he probably won’t admit it. The offense has been inconsistent, and that specific lineup switch could make a huge difference.
Bazzana, far from struggling as a major leaguer or looking overmatched, has shown he can be an above-average hitter even if the hits aren’t falling at the moment, with a 125 wRC+. The Guardians are definitely a better team with him in the lineup.
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