Captain of the Week (8/13-8/18): Travis Bazzana

EASTLAKE, OH – After each series this season, the Lake County Captains will spotlight a Captain of the Week, presented by Official League, showcasing a player and their strong performance over the previous week.

For the week of August 13 through August 18, Lake County is recognizing 2B Travis Bazzana as its 17^th Captain of the Week for the 2024 season.

The left-handed hitter had an impressive week at the plate against the Great Lakes Loons. He finished the shortened five-game series with four doubles, which were tied for the most in the Midwest League. Additionally, among MWL hitters with at least 10 plate appearances, he ranked second in batting average (.545, 6-for-11), slugging percentage (.909), and OPS (1.524), while ranking third in on-base percentage (.615, third).

Bazzana, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Cleveland and No. 13 overall prospect, made Captains history on Friday, August 16. He tied a single-game franchise record with three doubles, becoming the 14^th Lake County player to achieve the feat, and first since INF Alex Mooney, MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 Cleveland prospect, did so on April 27 at West Michigan.

This performance also marked the first three-hit game of Bazzana’s Minor League career. He is currently on a three-game hitting streak and an 11-game on-base streak. During his on-base streak, the 21-year-old is hitting .275 (11-for-40) with 12 runs, five doubles, one home run (grand slam), six RBI, 10 walks, three stolen bases, a .442 on-base percentage, and a .917 OPS.

So far this season, he is hitting .256 with 11 hits, 12 runs, five doubles, one home run (grand slam), seven RBI, 10 walks, three stolen bases, a .418 on-base percentage, and an .860 OPS in his first 12 career Minor League games, all with the Captains.

Bazzana was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians with the first overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Oregon State. He became the first Australian-born player and first second baseman selected first overall since the MLB Draft’s inception in 1965, as well as the first No. 1 overall pick in Cleveland franchise history.

The Sydney, Australia native had a remarkable collegiate career as an Oregon State Beaver, setting a variety of school records. These include career marks for: hits (251), doubles (52), home runs (45), total bases (460), stolen bases (66), and walks (180). For more on Bazzana’s journey to Lake County, click here.

Upon being drafted by Cleveland on July 14, the Guardians announced five days later that Bazzana would begin his Minor League Baseball career with the Captains, Cleveland’s High-A Affiliate. He then made his Minor League debut with Lake County one week later on July 26 at Great Lakes, becoming the fifth No. 1 overall pick to start at the High-A level or higher since 2000, and first since current Detroit Tigers 1B Spencer Torkelson did so in 2021.

Then, after his Minor League home debut on July 30 against the Beloit Sky Carp was suspended, the second baseman hit a grand slam in the continuation of the game on July 31, which was his first career professional home run.

Bazzana will look to sustain his recent success this week, as the Midwest League East First Half Division Champion Captains will play a six-game road series against the West Michigan Whitecaps. The series is set to begin on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan. All six games will be broadcast on the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.