Travis

Bazzana

The error was ugly: Bazzana easily handled a routine grounder that had double-play potential but then made a terrible throw to second that went into right field. It led to the Rays’ lone run of the game. Bazzana was better at the plate, hitting three balls between 100 and 103 mph. They all turned into outs, but his shot to deep center might have grabbed some wall if not for the wind knocking it down.

Bazzana struck out, flew out to center field and drew a walk in three at-bats against Rays starter Nick Martinez during his highly-anticipated big-league debut at Progressive Field. He was denied a chance to deliver a potential game-tying or game-winning hit when he was intentionally walked by reliever Cole Sulser with two outs in the ninth inning. The 23-year-old’s combination of advanced hitting ability, plate discipline and power/speed combination should give him some immediate fantasy relevance, especially in deeper mixed leagues. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all leagues, especially OBP formats.

Bazzana will make his MLB debut Tuesday against the Rays in Tampa Bay and hit seventh while starting at second base. The 23-year-old was hitting .287/.4221/;511 with two homers and eight steals prior to the promotion. Bazzana doesn’t project to be a superstar and may deal with some struggles to begin his career — many top prospects do — but he’s worthy of consideration for those who may need middle-infield help.

Bazzana, the first-overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, will make his big-league debut on Tuesday against the Rays at Progressive Field. The 23-year-old second baseman was raking at Triple-A Columbus, slashing .287/.422/.511 with two homers and eight steals in addition to nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (25) over 24 games. He may not project as an immediate fantasy superstar, but he profiles as an impact power/speed contributor at a relatively thin position. He’s expected to slot into the lower third of Cleveland’s lineup initially, though his advanced hit tool gives him a chance to climb into a more prominent role over time. He’s worth a speculative roster spot in all formats.

Bazzana is off to a good start at Triple-A, slashing .287/.422/.511 with two home runs, 10 RBI, eight steals, and a 25/21 K/BB ratio. The 25 strikeouts in 24 games isn’t ideal, but his walk rate is tremendous and shows a strong sense of the strike zone. The speed has also been nice after he stole only 12 bases in 84 games last year. The Guardians are struggling to find an option at second base, so Bazzana could enter the conversation.

The 23-year-old is only 5-for-24 in his first six games of the season, but he has five walks, a .720 OPS, and had three hard-hit balls in this game. With Konnor Griffin now being called up to the big leagues, Bazzana could be the next big-name prospect knocking on the door if he can start converting these hard-hit balls into more hits.

It comes in a losing effort, but it’s another impressive game from Bazzana. One of the homers was a grand slam, the other a solo shot off Robbie Ray an inning earlier. Bazzana has hit .381/.435/.857 in Arizona; a friendly reminder that this was the first pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. He likely begins the season in the minors, but it’d be an upset if he wasn’t starting at second base by the end of 2026. There’s some fantasy upside here for this season and obviously beyond.

All three of Bazzana’s at-bats produced balls in play in excess of 101 mph, but the double was sandwiched between a groundout and a GIDP. With his .897 OPS in Guardians camp, he’s made an argument to open up as the team’s second baseman. Still, they’ve already committed to sticking him in the minors to begin the year and will likely go with a double play combo of Brayan Rocchio (career 75 OPS+) at second and Gabriel Arias (career... well, wouldn’t you know it, 75 OPS+) at shortstop.

Bazzana won’t be officially reassigned for a couple days but the first-overall selection from the 2024 MLB Draft won’t break camp in the majors. The 23-year-old second baseman was away for most of the spring competing for Australia in the World Baseball Classic. He’ll open the minor league season back at Triple-A Columbus and figures to ascend to the big leagues at some point in the second half, if not sooner.

With Samurai Japan as the heavy favorite and Team Czechia as a big underdog, it should come down to Korea, Australia and Chinese Taipei for the second slot to advance out of Pool C. Australia might have the edge now after Alex Wells, Jack O’Loughlin and Jon Kennedy limited Chinese Taipei to just three hits while throwing three innings apiece. Bazzana’s homer was hit 383 feet off Yi Chang.