Travis Bazzana

Australian baseball player (born 2002)

Baseball player
Travis Bazzana
Cleveland Guardians
Infielder
Born: (2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 21)
Sydney, Australia
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Career highlights and awards

Travis William Bazzana (born 28 August 2002) is an Australian professional baseball infielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He was drafted first overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Guardians.

Amateur career

Bazzana attended Turramurra High School in Sydney, Australia. At Turramurra, Bazzana played cricket as a wicketkeeper/opening batsman, and captained his team as they won their first ever New South Wales state championship.[1] He played for the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League from 2018 to 2021.[2] In 2021, he played for the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League.[3]

As a freshman at Oregon State University in 2022, Bazzana hit .306/.425/.478[note 1] with six home runs and 44 runs batted in (RBI) over 245 at bats in 63 games. As a sophomore in 2023, he hit .374/.500/.622 with 11 home runs, 55 RBI and a school-record 36 stolen bases over 238 at bats in 61 games.[4] After the season, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League, where he was named the MVP after hitting .375/.456/.581 with six home runs and 31 RBI.[5][6][7]

Professional career

Bazzana was selected first overall in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft,[8] becoming the first Australian first overall pick, first second-baseman first overall pick, as well as the second Oregon State Beaver to do so after Adley Rutschman in 2019. On July 19, 2024, Bazzana signed with Cleveland on an underslot contract worth $8.95 million.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ Batting statistics listed as batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage

References

  1. ^ Travis Bazzana OSU Beavers Roster
  2. ^ Travis Bazzana could be first Australian to be drafted No. 1 overall
  3. ^ Travis Bazzana writing first chapter of his ‘dream come true’ during hot start with Corvallis Knights
  4. ^ Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana, the ‘most interesting man in college baseball,’ is chasing a trip to Omaha
  5. ^ "#7 Travis Bazzana - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  6. ^ Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana wins Cape Cod Baseball League batting title, player of the week honors
  7. ^ Meet the young Australian set to take the baseball world by storm
  8. ^ "Guardians take Oregon State's Bazzana with No. 1 pick of MLB draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Guardians Agree To Terms With No. 1 Overall Pick Travis Bazzana". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.

Further reading

  • Hamilton, Brian (10 July 2024). "Travis Bazzana's an Aussie schooled in cricket. Now he's the top pick in the 2024 MLB Draft". The Athletic. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  • Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
  • Oregon State Beavers bio
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Cleveland Guardians first-round draft picks