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Australian Second Baseman Travis Bazzana Taken By Cleveland Guardians With Top MLB Draft Pick
FORT WORTH, Texas — Travis Bazzana believes he represents the entire country, not just a college.
On Sunday night, Cleveland selected the Australian second baseman with the first pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, while three Wake Forest players were selected in the top ten.
The 21-year-old, who previously played cricket, rugby, and soccer, moved to the United States to play baseball for Oregon State. He has 407 hits, 28 home runs, and 66 RBIs this season. He was the first Australian and second baseman selected at No. 1.
Bazzana | AP News Image
Australian Second Baseman Travis Bazzana Taken By Cleveland Guardians With Top MLB Draft Pick
“An opportunity to make an impact on a lot of baseball players and a lot of people back home in Australia, and hopefully change the narrative for baseball there,” Bazzana told ESPN.
Bazzana hit 360 over his three seasons at Oregon State, with 45 home runs, 165 RBIs, 180 walks, and 66 steals.
Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, said the team reached their choice on Sunday.
“He recognizes pitches exceedingly well,” Antonetti added. “He understands the strike zone, makes sound swing selections, and when he does swing, he makes top contact. And Travis’ ability to add impact and drive the ball has improved significantly over the last year or two.
Bazzana watched the draft from Oregon State in the rooms where he had been recruited, along with his parents, brothers, aunts, coaches, and mentors.
“There’s people that have flown all the way from Australia, which is not cheap, nor is it an easy flight,” he told me.
He was motivated by Ryan Rowland-Smith and Trent Oeltjen, two Australians who made it to Major League Baseball.
“They really helped me believe and see this path and get an opportunity at Oregon State, and kind of helped me set no limits on myself,” he laughed.
Once in college, there was no pressure to create.
“No one really expected anything from the Australian kid,” he told me.
Baseball’s top pick this year has a slot value of $10,570,600 under the bonus pools system, which began in 2012. Cleveland received the top pick for the first time since the draft began in 1965.
Only ten high school players were among the 30 first-round selections.
Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns went second to Cincinnati, while Demon Deacons first baseman Nick Kurtz was selected fourth by Oakland and third baseman/outfielder Seaver King tenth by Washington. They became the eighth trio of teammates chosen in the first round and the first in the top ten since Rice right-handers Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann, and Wade Townsend in 2004.
Burns, 21, was 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 191 strikeouts, and 30 walks over 100 innings in 16 starts. Last year, the Reds selected Rhett Lowder, a right-hander from the Demon Deacons, eighth overall.
Colorado used the third pick on Georgia third baseman Charlie Condon, who had begun college as a walk-on. Some predicted that the 6-foot-6 Condon would lead the NCAA this year with a.433 average and 37 home runs. From April 26 to May 9, the 21-year-old homered in eight consecutive games, one shy of the NCAA record, and received the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player.
The Chicago White Sox selected Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith fifth overall. Smith underwent Tommy John surgery as a 16-year-old in 2019. He was 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 161 in 84 innings.
Next, Kansas City selected Jac Caglianone, a two-way player from Florida. He batted while playing first base and pitching left-handed. This year, the Gators had 419 hits, 35 home runs, and 72 RBIs while going 5-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 83 and walking 50 in 73 2/3 innings.
JJ Wetherholt, a West Virginia infielder, went eighth to St. Louis. The 21-year-old hit 331 in 36 games, with eight home runs and 30 RBIs, despite missing 24 games due to a hamstring injury from February 19 to April 5. He won the Division I batting title as a sophomore in 2023, hitting 449 with 16 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases.
Wetherholt attended the draft in a black cowboy hat and bolo tie. He promptly donned a Cardinals outfit and cap. Christian Moore, Tennessee’s second baseman, was also on hand and was selected seventh by the Los Angeles Angels.
Pittsburgh selected Konnor Griffin, the first high school player, ninth overall. The 18-year-old is a shortstop and outfielder at Jackson Prep in Mississippi.
San Francisco selected Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III 13th, followed by Seminoles third baseman Cam Smith, who went to the Chicago Cubs.
Jurrangelo Cijntje, a Mississippi State switch pitcher, was taken 15th overall by Seattle. Cijntje was born in the Netherlands, raised in Curaçao, and competed in the 2016 Little League World Series. Milwaukee drafted him in the 18th round two years ago, but he chose to attend college instead.
Australian Second Baseman Travis Bazzana Taken By Cleveland Guardians With Top MLB Draft Pick
Cam Caminiti, the cousin of 1996 NL MVP Ken Caminiti, was selected 24th by Atlanta. The 17-year-old left-hander attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The first 74 picks were made by teams, and the next 20 rounds took place on Monday and Tuesday. Cleveland also chose the 36th and 48th.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was booed by the approximately 2,000 fans at Cowtown Coliseum when he entered the stage through the set’s saloon doors, and each time he returned to announce a pick. Fans booed very loudly for the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.
Arizona selected outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt 31st with the prospect promotion picks earned when Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson were named Rookies of the Year, while Baltimore chose Virginia shortstop Griff O’Ferrall.
Wyatt Sanford, the son of former Pittsburgh and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Chance Sanford, was selected 47th overall by the Pirates.
SOURCE | AP
