Guardians named biggest MLB Draft Day 1 winner

No one was quite sure which direction the Cleveland Guardians were going to go in with the first overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. There was some speculation regarding a few names, including Charlie Condon, JJ Wetherholt, and Travis Bazzana. Ultimately, Cleveland decided to select Bazzana with the number one pick, to the delight of many.

When evaluating the winners of the first day of the MLB Draft, The Atheltic's Jim Bowden was very high on Cleveland's process. In fact, Bowden would go on to name the Guardians as his biggest winner in MLB Draft Day 1 takeaways: Bowden on the biggest winners — teams, players and colleges. Bowden was clearly a big fan of Bazzana, naming him the best player of the 2024 draft class, in his opinion. Cleveland opting to not get too cute or play any games, such as going underslot with the number one pick. This resulted in Bowden heaping praise upon their selection of Bazzana.

"The Guardians got it right in drafting Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick. There were rumors the Guardians might select a lesser player at No. 1 who would agree to an underslot bonus to improve the depth of their draft, but they made a good move in taking Bazzana, the best player in the 2024 class in my opinion. Bazzana became the first Australian and first second baseman ever to go No. 1."

- Jim Bowden on the Cleveland Guardians

Sure, the Guardians could have decided to go with someone such as Condon or Wetherholt at number one, and for the most part, that decision would have been justified. Those two were very intriguing prospects coming into the draft and should be able to be meaningful contributors for the respective clubs moving forward. Cleveland clearly felt more comfortable with taking Bazzana over those two at the top of the draft, and it is really hard to argue with that process, given his projected talent level and the team's current competitive timeline.

Bazzana is a very talented player and should be making an impact for the Guardians at the major league level sooner rather than later. While there may need to be a positional adjustment for someone in Clevleand's infield, perhaps switching Andres Gimenez back to shortstop after the 2024 season is over, the Guardians are hoping that they have the center of their infield in place for years to come.