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Travis Bazzana selected by Cleveland Guardians with top pick in 2024 MLB draft
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- Travis Bazzana selected by Cleveland Guardians with top pick in 2024 MLB draft
Travis Bazzana and the Guardians have discovered unchartered territory together.
The Guardians made Bazzana the first No. 1 overall draft pick in Cleveland baseball history Sunday night. A second baseman from Oregon State University, Bazzana also became the first Australian-born player to be chosen in the first round of the MLB draft .
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"I don't know if it's sunk in," Bazzana said on Zoom. "I think that there's a lot more to be done in terms of playing and impact and things I can do and ways I can give back to baseball in Australia in the coming years and things I look forward to. But this is the perfect step to kind of put me other guys on the map. And, also, the next 15-year-old kid, they set their standards a little higher and they see that it's possible."
Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana (37) hits a foul ball against Kentucky on June 9 in Lexington, KY.
Bazzana said playing in MLB has been his dream job since age 5 or 6. He watched the draft from Oregon State with teammates, coaches, mentors and relatives, including some who traveled from Australia.
Speaking on Zoom, Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team has an agreement of contractual terms in place with Bazzana, but the two sides need to work through several factors, including a medical check, to finalize the deal.
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Antonetti said the Guardians narrowed down their decision at No. 1 overall to "a small handful of players," and they didn't know exactly whom they would choose until a couple of hours before the draft began. Antonetti explained ensuring the Guardians would be able to sign top selection was part of the process.
"It's a player and person that we've gotten a great opportunity to know, not only over the course of the last few months, but over the course of the last few years, and we view him to be a dynamic player," Antonetti said of Bazzana. "He's a guy that makes really good swing decisions, controls the strike zone really well, rarely swings and misses and can really impact the baseball.
"We think he's got a chance to impact the game in a variety of ways. But as impressive as he is as an athlete and as a player, he's just as impressive or more impressive as a person. He has been relentless, I think, from the time he was 3 years old to take advantage of every resource available to him to become the best baseball player he could possibly be."
Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana (37) throws the ball against Kentucky on June 9 in Lexington, KY.
A left-handed hitter from Sydney, Australia, Bazzana spent the last three seasons playing for Oregon State. Last month, he became the sixth unanimous first-team All-America selection in school history.
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Bazzana batted .407 as a junior last season, setting single-season program records with 84 runs scored, 28 home runs and a .911 slugging percentage. He also compiled 16 doubles, four triples, 76 walks, 16 stolen bases and 66 RBIs.
A second baseman had never previously been taken No. 1 overall.
"We think [Bazzana] has a chance to grow into a good defensive second baseman," Antonetti said. "It's probably the area of his game where he's maybe a little bit less refined than maybe some other elements, but we're excited to get him into our system, have him partnered with our instructors to help him grow and develop in that area."
MLB draft 2024 grades: Guardians get top mark for taking Travis Bazzana
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Listed as 6 feet and 199 pounds, Bazzana has cricket in his background. He began playing professional baseball at the age of 15 in Australia. He'll turn 22 on Aug. 28.
"To think about the impact he could have … on others to elevate all of Australian baseball based upon what he might be able to achieve, to think about somebody who's able to look outside themselves and have that type of purpose and then have the dedication and commitment to work to bring that to reality is exceedingly impressive for anybody, let alone a teenager," Antonetti said.
The Guardians owned the No. 1 overall choice for the first time in franchise history as a result of winning the MLB draft lottery in its second year of existence. Entering the lottery in December, the Guardians had just a 2% chance of landing the top pick.
Before Sunday night, the highest draft slot in which Cleveland baseball had ever picked was No. 2 overall. The organization chose the following five players there: Steve Dunning (1970), Rick Manning (1972), Greg Swindell (1986), Mark Lewis (1988) and Paul Shuey (1992).
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Now the Guardians finally have a No. 1 overall pick, and it's Bazzana.
More MLB draft 2024: Other Cleveland Guardians picks on Day 1
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians make Travis Bazzana No. 1 pick in 2024 MLB draft
