Bazzana collects first RBI in Lake County debut

Travis Bazzana made his Minor League debut Friday, 12 days after being selected first overall in the MLB Draft.

The Guardians prospect -- who is expected to slot in among the Top 20 prospects in baseball when MLB Pipeline's updated rankings emerge in a few weeks -- began his professional career for High-A Lake County, making him the first 2024 selection to appear in a game this season. The second baseman -- who became the first Australian-born player to be selected first overall -- led off for the Captains against the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers).

Bazzana saw five pitches in the first inning before swinging through a slider from Dodgers No. 6 prospect Jackson Ferris to conclude his first plate appearance in the Minor Leagues.

The lefty made contact in his second trip to the plate, rolling over on a pitch to the right side in the third inning. Shortstop Noah Miller (Dodgers No. 26) didn’t field a clean transfer on a toss from second baseman Sam Mongelli, resulting in a fielder’s choice and a run scoring rather than a possible inning-ending double play.

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It proved to be all the Captains needed as Bazzana's first RBI fueled a 1-0 victory over the Loons at Dow Diamond.

Bazzana took a final at-bat in the sixth, fanning on six pitches before his professional debut came to an end the following frame. The Guardians planned for the second baseman to play just seven innings, exiting before a possible fourth plate appearance to leadoff the top of the eighth. He did not make a play in the field.

The 21-year-old is coming off a record-setting career with Oregon State, where he set Beavers career marks in hits and home runs. During the 2024 campaign, he set single-season OSU records for runs scored (84), homers (28) and slugging percentage (.911), while ranking second in Division I in on-base percentage (.568), slugging and walks (76). He reached base in all 60 games he played and was named a 2024 Golden Spikes Award finalist and the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Bazzana joins a talented Lake County team that won the Midwest League first-half title and features a bevy of Guardians Top 30 prospects in the lineup: infielders Angel Genao (CLE No. 11), Jose Devers (CLE No. 19) and Alex Mooney (CLE No. 20), along with outfielder Jake Fox (CLE No. 18) and catcher Cooper Ingle (CLE No. 30).