Travis Bazzana catches odd stray in ESPN's evaluation of 2026 MLB draft class

Next weekend, leaders from every MLB team will gather in Philadelphia for this year’s MLB draft. While it’s not at the same level as the NBA and NFL draft, baseball’s annual event has slowly gained more traction over the past couple seasons. 

And that added attention has led to a rise in MLB draft content, which is great for the health of the sport. We got another example of that earlier this week when ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel published a fun story where he compared this year’s draft class to the 2024 and ‘25 draft classes. 

Not only is that story a fun thought exercise, but it also provides fans with another opportunity to go back in time and look through the loaded draft classes from the past two seasons. 

But that story isn’t as much fun for Guardians fans, as Travis Bazzana (the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft) caught a stray at the part in the story where McDaniel looked at the top prospect from each year’s draft. 

The Guardians’ decision to draft Travis Bazzana in 2024 has been divisive 

Bazzana’s always been a bit of the flashpoint in the greater MLB picture given the Guardians' decision to take him with the No. 1 pick in what was largely regarded as a loaded draft. 

And nothing’s happened in the time since to dispel that notion, as 12 players from that class have already made their MLB debuts. 

That deep draft was clearly a part of McDaniel’s evaluation, as he wrote:

“The hesitation at the time around Bazzana was size and position, and (Charlie) Condon's was position along with contact ability. All of these concerns are still alive and, in retrospect, the 2024 class looks strong in high-end value but the industry had them in the wrong order at the top.”

Right now, the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz stands out as the top prospect from that class considering he has 55 home runs under his belt and won last year’s American League Rookie of the Year. 

But there’s Konnor Griffin (who has already earned a long-term contract) and JJ Wetherholt (who is in the midst of a star turn for the Cardinals). 

Bazzana got a bit of a late start compared to his fellow draft mates, but he’s played well for the Guardians since getting promoted (even if he’s in a pretty deep slump right now). 

Now, McDaniels’ concerns about Bazzana’s position seem to be legitimate considering he’s been worth -2 Outs Above Average at second. Normally that kind of performance leads to a position change, but he doesn’t have the size or arm needed to be a corner outfielder. 

The Guardians' decision to draft Bazzana is always going to be a point of debate for the next 20-plus years. While the early returns have been a bit-up-and-down, Bazzana still has a lot of time to turn things around.

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