Follow live updates from the 2024 MLB Draft.
By Melissa Lockard, Keith Law and Zack Meisel
After months of speculation, the Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State slugger Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Bazzana is the first No. 1 draft selection in the history of the Cleveland baseball franchise.
The second baseman ranked second on The Athletic’s Keith Law’s top-100 prospect ranking for this draft, behind Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon, who went to the Colorado Rockies at No. 3. The Cincinnati Reds selected Wake Forest right-handed pitcher Chase Burns at No. 2.
That's what happens when you become a Beav.#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/bbIIcvDsxI
— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) July 14, 2024
Bazzana made his professional debut, of sorts, as a 15-year-old in the Australian Baseball League, the same circuit where many minor leaguers go in the winter to gain some extra at-bats or innings, and then played as an 18-year-old in the wood-bat West Coast League against college players, hitting .429/.471/.593.
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The Australian — listed at 6-feet and 199 pounds — has starred for Oregon State for the last three years, setting the career hits record for the Beavers before his junior season wrapped up, while also destroying the school’s single-season home run record, which was 21 homers before Bazzana crossed the Pacific to take the crown.
He joins a Cleveland franchise that is in the middle of a surprising season. Coming into Sunday’s last game before the All-Star break, the Guardians were 58-37 and held a four-game lead at the top of the American League Central division.
The Guardians finished 76-86 last season, the final year under longtime manager Terry Francona, who retired after the season. Rookie manager Stephen Vogt took his place and has guided a young team that has spent 89 days in first place in the division so far this season.
Cleveland had the first pick in this year’s draft due to the luck of a ping-pong ball bounce. The Guardians entered the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery with the ninth-best chance of winning the No. 1 pick, but the balls bounced their way. This is just the second year under MLB’s new draft lottery rules.
Given its current place in the standings, Cleveland is unlikely to be in the lottery again next season.
The MLB Draft began Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Day 1 of the draft will run through the Competitive Balance Round B (pick 73, Oakland A’s). Day 2 will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday and will run Rounds 3-10. Day 3 starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday and concludes the draft with Rounds 11-20.
Why Guardians went with Bazzana
With Bazzana as the first pick, the Guardians took the safety of one of the best hitters in the entire draft, a kid with three years of performance at a major program and one of the best work ethics in the class.
He is limited to second base, and I’m sure Guardians fans are wondering why they’d take a second baseman when they have a superb one in the majors — but in baseball, you just take the player(s) you think are the best, and a surplus at a position up the middle is a very high-quality problem indeed. — Keith Law, senior MLB writer
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How Bazzana fits in Cleveland
If the Guardians could concoct a position player prospect in a lab, he would share plenty of traits with Bazzana. They love middle infielders. They treasure hitters who are adept at making contact and making the right swing decisions. And they prioritize prospects with elite makeup, players who are willing to embrace instruction and information.
Bazzana fits Cleveland’s mold better than any prospect. He grew up in Australia, developed into a star hitter at a powerhouse college program and now he joins an organization enjoying a renaissance. The Guardians entered the All-Star break with the best record in the American League.
He could play his way onto the roster in the next year or two, and either form a middle-infield tandem with Platinum Glove winner Andrés Giménez or head to the outfield, where he would join former Oregon State product Steven Kwan. — Zack Meisel, Guardians senior writer
Required reading
- How an Aussie schooled in cricket became the No. 1 pick in the draft
- Final 2024 MLB Mock Draft: Unsettled at the top as Cleveland keeps pick choice quiet
- Final 2024 MLB Draft top-100 prospect ranking: Condon No. 1; Waldschmidt makes leap
- Will Taylor, Thatcher Hurd and other 2024 MLB Draft prospects outside top 100 to watch
(Photo: Jordan Prather / USA Today)
