Travis Bazzana continues to validate every decision Guardians have made with him

Travis Bazzana has served as a flashpoint for Guardians fans since the moment they drafted him with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. 

First it was the fact the Guardians decided to take him with the first pick in the draft instead of some of the other top options like JJ Wetherholt, Nick Kurtz or Konnor Griffin. 

Then it was the fact they decided to slow-play his journey through the minors last season when his draft compatriots Kurtz and Jac Caglianone were making their MLB debut. 

Then it was this season when they elected to have him start the season at Triple-A after he had a dominant showing for Australia in the World Baseball Classic. 

But Bazzana all of that has become old news thanks to Bazzana’s stellar first two months in MLB that have been highlighted by him putting a stranglehold around the Guardians’ leadoff spot while also evolving into one of the leaders in the Guardians’ clubhouse. 

Travis Bazzana has been worth the wait for Guardians fans 

While it was tough to preach patience with Bazzana when so many of the other members of his draft class made their MLB debuts, it was also clear that Bazzana still needed some time in the minors. 

He spent most of last year at Double-A and hit .256 in 51 games before being promoted to Triple-A where his batting average dipped to .225 in 26 games (though he did have an on-base percentage of .420). 

Bazzana’s patience and eye were evident and clearly MLB ready, but the Guardians front office clearly wanted him to work on his ability to drive the ball to the gaps. 

And it seems like the time working on that has paid off, as Bazzana enters play today with a .274/.373/.469 slashline with seven home runs, 24 RBI and seven steals in 48 games while also becoming the Guardians’ leadoff hitter. 

Bazzana’s already been worth 1.6 bWAR this season, which is the ssixth-most among players from his draft class despite the fact that he’s only been in the big leagues for about two months. 

But he’s been an everyday player in those two months, which also impacted Cleveland’s decision to call him up when they did.

The Guardians, like most teams in MLB, don’t want to call up their top prospects unless they have the ability to give them everyday playing time, and they finally had an avenue to do so at the end of April thanks to Juan Brito’s struggles. 

Although evaluation of the MLB Draft  can always be a bit tough due to the patience it requires, it was even tougher to do so with Bazzana’s draft class considering how quickly some of the players from the class earned their big league call-up. 

But even if Bazzana wasn’t the first player from his class to get a call-up, he’s quickly becoming one of the most impactful players from that group. 

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