Travis Bazzana
| Travis Bazzana | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Bazzana with the Lake County Captains in 2024 | |
| Cleveland Guardians | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: 28 August 2002 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
[edit]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 2019, he represented Australia in the 2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup.[3] In 2021, he played for the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League.[4] He represented Australia again the 2022 U-23 Baseball World Cup.[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.[5] 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.[6][7][8] In 2024, he led the Pac-12 Conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, walks and runs. His 26 home runs were a single-season school record and he also broke the school's career home run record that year. He was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.[9]
Professional career
[edit]Bazzana was selected first overall in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft,[10] 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.[11] He was assigned to the High-A Lake County Captains on July 26, 2024 and made his professional debut the same day.[12]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Batting statistics listed as batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage.
References
[edit]- ^ "Travis Bazzana". Oregon State University Athletics. 28 August 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Clair, Michael (7 August 2023). "Travis Bazzana could be first Australian to be drafted No. 1 overall". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b "WBSC Baseball World Cup star Travis Bazzana makes history as first Australian selected first overall in MLB Draft". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Denney, Jarrid (7 July 2021). "Travis Bazzana writing first chapter of his 'dream come true' during hot start with Corvallis Knights". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Freeman, Joe (1 June 2023). "The 'most interesting man in college baseball,' is chasing a trip to Omaha". OregonLive. The Oregonian. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "#7 Travis Bazzana - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Freeman, Joe (3 August 2023). "Travis Bazzana wins Cape Cod batting title, player of the week honors". OregonLive. The Oregonian. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Meet the young Australian set to take the baseball world by storm". The Daily Telegraph. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Denney, Jarrid (21 May 2024). "Oregon State baseball's Travis Bazzana selected as Pac-12 Player of the Year". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Guardians take Oregon State's Bazzana with No. 1 pick of MLB draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Adams, Steve (19 July 2024). "Guardians Agree To Terms With No. 1 Overall Pick Travis Bazzana". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Potosky, Logan (26 July 2024). "2024 First Overall Pick Travis Bazzana to Begin Minor League Career With Lake County Captains". MiLB.com.
Further reading
[edit]- 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.
External links
[edit]
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Oregon State Beavers bio