All things considered, Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana had a solid debut campaign in 2026. He probably won’t compete for the AL Rookie of the Year award, but the season offered plenty of lessons for the young infielder.
He was on fire in the weeks leading up to his promotion, earned a spot on the American League’s All-Star roster, slumped badly over the summer, and regained his stroke late to help the Guardians secure a place in the postseason.
He couldn’t do much in October, but he did have his moments. All in all, he matured as a player and as a person, and said that he and the Guardians as a whole will return next year to try and win it all.
“It’s really exciting, knowing the young group and how well we do as an organization continuing to develop our players,” Bazzana said, per MLB.com. “I hope that we, as a young group, rather than continuing to be playoff teams, can expect to be in the playoffs and figure out individually and together how we can be a World Series team. I hope that’s what me and the young group, then obviously some of the older guys, will be doing.”
Bazzana and the Guardians fell two wins short of the World Series. They lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series, four games to two. Cleveland was up 2-1 after three games, so it was a particularly painful outcome.
In Bazzana, however, the Guardians have a capable young hitter who should be even better next year. He finished the regular season with a solid .245/.335/.408 line (110 wRC+), 15 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and 2.8 fWAR.
There’s no reason why he can’t finish with 20 round-trippers and 25 thefts next year, should there be a season, of course, with over 3.0 fWAR if he can avoid long slumps. The Guardians are counting on him and other young players to keep developing and take them to the promised land for the first time since 1948.
Bazzana, one of the hardest workers on the team, is happy that Cleveland made it to the postseason. Now, however, he wants more, and isn’t afraid of saying it in public and to the media.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Real Reason The Guardians Fell To The Rays
