Travis Bazzana Opens Up About Playing In WBC

Travis Bazzana is back with the Cleveland Guardians after a successful stint with Australia at the World Baseball Classic. Though his team fell just short of reaching the quarterfinals, Bazzana had some highlight-worthy moments and was able to get the feeling of playing on a big stage.

Now, with a spot on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster potentially out of reach, Bazzana will try to do whatever he can to make an impression in the limited time remaining at spring training. The second baseman hopes that his recent experience can help him do that.

Upon his return, Bazzana said he wants to bring that WBC spark into the Guardians’ campaign, calling it a “crazy emotion.”

“I just want to get back into the swing of things, and hopefully bring the energy like that tournament brings out of you and have that throughout the rest of spring and into the season,” Bazzana said. “Those things can provide a spark. I always have a spark, but that was a crazy emotion. So hopefully, just keep bringing that love to the game throughout.”

After playing three Cactus League games, Bazzana departed for Australia’s WBC games in Japan. He got off to a great start with a home run in the tournament’s opening game, but he managed just two other hits. One of those was a late-inning RBI single against Korea, but a loss kept Australia from advancing.

That allowed Bazzana to get back to the Guardians camp sooner than he would have otherwise. Manager Stephen Vogt said he enjoyed watching Bazzana compete in the WBC, but now he’ll get a final up-close look at the organization’s top prospect before the regular season begins.

Brayan Rocchio is likely to be Cleveland’s starting second baseman, which is where he ended last season, with Gabriel Arias at shortstop. That means Bazzana would be headed to the minors, likely to Triple-A Columbus, where he appeared in 26 games last year during a season that was limited by multiple oblique injuries.

Then, depending on how he, Rocchio, Arias, and the Guardians overall fare in the early stages, an in-season promotion for Bazzana to make his MLB debut could be on the table. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft has a much higher projected offensive upside than Rocchio or Arias, so if the lineup needs a boost, his arrival could come sooner rather than later.

When it does, Bazzana will already have the experience of playing important games in front of large crowds, thanks to the WBC.