The Cleveland Guardians are calling up former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana, adding the second baseman to an improved offense as they attempt to capture their third consecutive American League Central title, sources told ESPN on Monday night.
Bazzana, 23, joins Cleveland after hitting .287/.422/.511 with two home runs, 10 RBIs, 18 runs and eight stolen bases in 24 games at Triple-A Columbus. Taken with the first pick out of Oregon State in a 2024 draft that already has seen nine first-rounders debut, Bazzana is expected to take over as the full-time second baseman, a job that has been shared by struggling rookie Juan Brito and utilityman Daniel Schneemann, who has been one of Cleveland’s best hitters.
The most highly touted prospect to debut for Cleveland since Francisco Lindor in 2015, the left-handed hitting Bazzana, a native of Hornsby, Australia, entered the season as the No. 23 prospect on the ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100. With a strong power-speed combination — and an eye that drew 21 walks against 25 strikeouts at Triple-A — Bazzana figures long-term to join an improving top of the Guardians lineup.
Surrounding future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez are rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter, shortstop Brayan Rocchio, left fielder Angel Martinez and Bazzana — all 24 or younger. Add in the strong start by Schneemann, who is hitting .318/.400/.561, and Cleveland’s lineup ranks 19th in MLB with 118 runs — the same as first-place Cincinnati and Seattle, a World Series contender in the AL. The Guardians finished 28th in runs scored last year.
Bazzana is the latest player from the bonanza draft class of 2024 to ascend to the big leagues. He follows Cincinnati right-hander Chase Burns (No. 2 overall), A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz (No. 4), Kansas City outfielder Jac Caglianone (No. 6), St. Louis second baseman JJ Wetherholt (No. 7), Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore (No. 8), Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin (No. 9), Houston outfielder Cam Smith (No. 14), New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge (No. 19) and Toronto right-hander Trey Yesavage (No. 20).
Cleveland could have kept Bazzana down longer in hopes of keeping him from being eligible for a fourth season of arbitration but opted to summon him for the second game of a three-game series at Progressive Field against Tampa Bay. The Guardians lost the first game of the series, 3-2, to drop to 15-15, a half-game back of first-place Detroit.
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