As the Guardians inch closer to clinching a postseason bid, their recent top draft pick is slowly working his way to the big leagues. Cleveland selected Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 overall pick in the July 14th draft – the first ever for the franchise.
Ideastream Public Media's sports commentator Terry Pluto recently talked with Bazzana about how he’s adjusting to life as a pro. While everyone is anxious to see Bazzana in the big leagues, Pluto said his next stop after Lake County is likely Double-A Akron.
The 22-year-old Sydney, Australia native was a star second baseman at Oregon State, one of the nation’s top college programs. In three seasons there, he batted .360 and holds the program's career record with 220 runs scored, 251 hits, 52 doubles, 45 home runs, 180 walks and 66 stolen bases, while tying for the all-time lead with a .660 slugging percentage.
The Guardians have another Oregon State alum on the roster; Steven Kwan, who was drafted in 2018.
“The Guardians got a lot of information on Bazzana from Kwan," Pluto said. "Even though they didn't play together (because) Kwan had already turned pro, they had all these Oregon State connections."
A majority of players drafted in Major League Baseball spend years working their way to the majors. The Guardians have four levels of minor league teams: Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Akron, High-A Lake County and Low-A Lynchburg, Virginia.
Pluto said many prospects sit out a bit after they're drafted.
“When they draft college pitchers or even high school pitchers, many of these teams are not even sending these guys to the minors," Pluto said. "They just send them to their spring training complex and let them work out the rest of the summer and then start fresh the following year."
But as the top pick, Bazzana was sent directly to the High-A Lake County Captains in Eastlake.
“It was a different adjustment," Pluto said. "He admitted that. He said 'Boy, some of these guys have been playing pro ball for a few years."'
Pluto recently visited Classic Park to talk with Bazzana.
“Travis mentioned to me that when he was playing Oregon State, most of the time he played like four games a week," Pluto said. "Once in a while, five, but usually four. Well, when you get out and start playing pro ball and it’s like the Midwest League, you’re going to Cedar Rapids and all kinds of places like that, you play every day; you're on busses; you play the next day, play the next day. It's a big adjustment."
Pluto said that while Bazzana’s stats so far at Lake County have been average, they’re in line or better than the other top picks in his draft class.
“Charlie Condon, who set all these homerun records at Georgia, he's having a miserable year playing in a high league,” Pluto said. “Bazzana this year hit about .240. Really, it doesn't excite you, but you have to put it in the context of, okay, he went from college straight to this.”
Pluto said Bazzana is learning how to adapt to pitchers and teammates who have been in the minors much longer.
“He did not look overmatched or anything, but it wasn't like you saw him go, ‘My goodness, there's a first pick in the draft,'" Pluto said.
Pluto said Akron RubberDucks fans will likely get the chance to see Bazzana next season. But as far as his debut in Cleveland, that remains unknown.
“85 percent of all players who go to the big leagues get sent back to the minors at least once," Pluto said. "Terry Francona, the future Hall of Fame manager in Cleveland for all these years, believed a guy needed between 1,200 and 1,500 at-bats in the minors to be fully ready for the big leagues. Right now, Travis has about 120.”
Still, Bazzana has been drawing big crowds in Eastlake all summer, and came through big for the team in the playoffs last week – hitting a home run in the Captains’ 5-4 victory over Dayton for a sweep of their semifinal against Dayton.
“He is a celebrity, and there's no doubt about that," Pluto said. "Because he's signing autographs after games, posing for pictures. (He’s a) very engaging young guy and of course, having the Australian, the Aussie accent, it makes him kind of more endearing to the fans."
Pluto believes Bazzana has a future in Cleveland.
“I think he's going to be a good player," Pluto said. "He's got a nice short swing. He is a relentless worker. He's got the right attitude. You know, does he become a superstar? Who knows. Will he become a big-league player and probably play for a long time? I believe he will, but it may take another year or two”
