Travis Bazzana: Up-And-Coming Dynasty Player

Hello everyone, welcome back to another entry of the featured Up-and-Coming Dynasty Player.

Another week is in the books, and after highlighting one top prospect last week, who I consider will be an outstanding player for years to come, I figured I would continue the trend and highlight a player who was the top overall selection in the 2024 draft.

Travis Bazzana is not a player who has been sneaking up on people.  He was the first player to hear his named called the night of the 2024 draft, and he has been producing on the field ever since. He entered the 2026 season ranked as the #22 prospect by Baseball America, #20 by MLB, and #24 by Baseball Prospectus.

So, like we do every week, let’s dive in and learn a little more about Travis Bazzana.

The Stats

Growing up in Australia, Travis Bazzana didn’t generate very much buzz with scouts before heading to Oregon State. But once on campus, scouts quickly took notice of him. He took home Freshman All-America honors in 2022 when he slashed .306/.425/.478 with six homers, 44 RBI and 14 steals. The next season, he went .374/.500/.622 with 11 dingers, 55 RBI, and 14 steals, and then went crazy in 2024. As a junior, he slashed .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs, 66 RBI, and 16 steals in 60 games.

The Guardians owned the top pick in the June 2024 draft and quickly selected him and offered a record $8.95 million signing bonus. After signing with the Guardians, he appeared in 27 games at the High-A level, slashing .238/.369/.396 with three homers, 12 RBI, and five steals. The left-handed hitter then spent the 2025 season at three different minor league levels and then another 24 at Triple-A before being recalled to the majors.

The Tools

• Power

When you look at Bazzana’s percentile rankings above, it looks like he shouldn’t hit for a lot of power. His Average EV, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, and Launch Angle Sweet Spot% are all below average, some way below average.

Travis Bazzana has a compact swing with above-average bat speed, and the lack of consistent line drives should change as he becomes more accustomed to major league pitching. He already has seven home runs in 50 games with 24 RBI, which projects to 23 homers and 78 RBI. Coming from a second baseman, I will take that production any day.

• Hit

While Bazzana’s power has been solid despite his Statcast rankings, his bat-to-ball skills have always been considered outstanding, and that hasn’t really changed during his time with Cleveland. In college, he had 904 plate appearances and struck out only 146 times for a 16% strikeout rate. During his junior year, that rate was only 12.5%. Through his first 50 games, his strikeout rate is only at 19.2% while his walk rate is 12.5%, thanks to a chase rate that ranks in the 81st percentile.

I really like Bazzana’s swing, one that allows him to hit the ball hard to all fields, but that has not translated to a high average since becoming a professional. His career batting average in minors is .252, and right now he has a .262 average with the Guardians – and that is with a .303 BABIP, which is higher than the .289 MLB average. In the end, I see that batting average and thus his OBP and OPS increase as he settles in.

• Speed

There are a host of second basemen who have good power in the majors, and some also have a solid to above average average and OBP. But Bazzana also brings above average speed to his skillset. And unlike some players who are fast but still not good base stealers, Bazzana has proven he will be able to add a lot of steals to your stat line.

At Oregon State, he was 66-for-77 in stolen base attempts for an 86% success rate. In the minors, he was 25-for-29 – an 86% success rate. So far with Cleveland, he is 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts for an 80% success rate. Why argue with numbers that are pretty consistent across three different levels of baseball?

The Verdict

Travis Bazzana came out of the gates on fire with Cleveland as he slashed .311/.398/.476 in May with three homers, 11 RBI, and eight steals in 28 games. The month of June has not gone as well as he had hoped, seeing his slash line has dropped to .213/.310/.440. But in eight less games compared to May as of Thursday, he has one more homer (4) and two more RBI (13) than he had last month. So while the average has dropped, leading to less steals, his power production hasn’t slipped.

The Guardians have had him hitting leadoff in 25 games now, and he has shown he can handle the pressure of sparking the lineup, slashing .258/.330/.536 with 12 runs scored, five homers, 15 RBI, and three steals. And if his overall month of June is scaring you, it shouldn’t, as he has shown signs of turning things around at the plate. Over the last 14 days (11 games), he is slashing .275/.383/.550, and over the last seven days (7 games), he is slashing .333/.419/.704.

If there is one concern about Travis Bazzana, it is the fact that he could become a center fielder in the future. He doesn’t have the best fielding skills at second, and the Guardians have several top prospects who can play at second base. But whether he sticks at second or gets moved to center, Bazzana was taken with the first overall pick for one reason – he can hit. And he has shown that talent at every level he has played. His batting average and OBP haven’t always been outstanding, but that is no reason to suddenly turn your back on him. If you have him on your team, be very happy.

Thanks!

Thanks for reading, and come back again next week.