The MLB 2024 1st overall pick came nowhere else but Oregon State in the form of the Australian Native, Travis Bazzana, who got the chance to make an impact in the 2026 MLB season.
Spending three seasons in Corvallis, Bazzana’s career was full of nothing but all-honors selections and the capturing of multiple program records such as stolen bases as well as single season and career home runs.
Constantly leading the team’s offense and always remaining a highlight of the defense, little surprise came when Bazzana became the highest Australian player ever selected in the MLB draft to the Cleveland Guardians.
He would make the usual developmental process by playing his first year in the Minor leagues, posting a .245 average in his first taste of professional action.
After being promoted to Triple-A leagues in 2025, Bazzana showed valuable development in his batting, however his biggest problem came with the amount of time he was able to stay on the field.
Oblique issues made him miss two months initially, and after coming back for a short time, effectively ended his season. A sad sight as his average had jumped from .190 in august over 17 games to .290 in september over nine.
Bazzana only saw 26 games in Triple-A. The Guardians staff believed seeing a full recovery and off-season would be best for Bazzana’s development, as they already saw good performance from him in his limited action.
Focusing on his approach to the plate, he went through the preparation for 2026 without any setbacks, in fact quite the opposite.
Not long before the 2026 season began, the Australian national team would feature the Oregon State alum as they battled within the World Baseball Classic. While the team did not make it as far as they would have liked, they did come away with two wins in a division with Asia’s best teams
Bazzana’s debut in the tournament would be memorable, sealing their 3-0 game against Chinese Taipei with a solo home run in the seventh, he was given praise by Australian Manager Dave Nilsson and now carried this long awaited achievement into the season.
Starting in Triple-A, Bazzana recorded a .287 average with a .511 SLG and .933 OPS. His patience from the first two years was quickly rewarded as the Guardians had started with a 15-15 record and were in need of a quick change of offense in order to capture a higher spot in the American League Central.
Lucky for them Bazzana had been waiting for his opportunity and gave the team staff confidence that he was now ready to start developing within the Major leagues.
So, officially on April 28, Bazzana was officially moved up to the active roster and was immediately placed on the starting line for the next available game.
Bazzana didn’t start sending it over the fence immediately, but was able to pick up walks and plenty of stolen bases with his first few games, showing he was indeed ready to stay in the show.
Since then, Bazzana has played in every available game except for one, making 27 MLB starts.
His first official hit came in his fourth major league game, as well as his first career home run on May 8.
Cleveland’s record since Bazzana was elevated slowly but surely began to improve. While it didn’t seem to stem from the 23 year old at first, starting with a .182 average, his role would only continue to grow further as the staff only seemed to have even more faith in their number one pick.
Head Coach Steven Vogt then made a change on the 24 that many fans were waiting for, putting Bazzana in the leadoff spot. A familiar and comfortable place for the star player. Since being set there, that’s where he has remained, now on a four game hitting streak.
With close to a month of MLB games under his belt, Bazzana now sports a .293 average with three home runs, 11 RBI’s and seven stolen bases. Seemingly ushering in a change of the newer generations of Guardians players making an impact and joining a number of performing OSU starters within the MLB.
