CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Bazzana knew he was going to be nervous making his major league debut until he took his first at-bat and fielded his first ground ball.
After that, everything felt normal again.
Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 amateur draft, went 0 for 2 with two walks in his major league debut for the Cleveland Guardians in to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 23-year-old Bazzana found out on Sunday after Triple-A Columbus’ doubleheader at Buffalo that he was going to be called up. The move was made official Tuesday when Juan Brito was optioned to Columbus.
“You have this kind of antsy and high heart rate feeling. But after that (getting up to the plate and fielding a ground ball) it felt like a normal baseball game and felt locked in,” said Bazzana, who batted seventh and played second base.
Bazzana is the top prospect in the Guardians’ organization. He batted .287 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 24 games for Columbus. He reached base safely in his last 13 games.
His parents, Gary and Jenny, already had decided to make the trip to the United States around this time and arrived Monday night.
“My mom was smiling and crying at the same time. Very excited, very emotional, and my dad was shocked and just very excited,” Bazzana said during a pregame news conference.
Bazzana is the 14th player from the 2024 draft class to reach the majors. He is the ninth position player and the seventh top-10 pick. The group includes 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz of the Athletics, Cincinnati right-hander Chase Burns, Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone and Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin.
And as the first Australian player to be the top overall pick in the MLB draft, Bazzana’s walk-up song paid homage to his country as he is using Men at Work’s 1981 hit “Down Under.” Bazzana said he finally listened to his parents, who keep needling him about having an Aussie walk-up song.
“I would always be like, ‘People know I’m Australian. Why would I do that?’ I just had this inkling the last couple of months that I felt like that would be special to start my career. Just like, that’s my favorite kind of iconic Australian song and it’s cliche, but I think it’s a good start,” he said.
Bazzana joins a Guardians squad that had dropped four straight and six of their last eight. They have the fifth-worst batting average in the majors at .227 and have been shut out four times including a pair of 1-0 losses.
“I think with the way he was swinging the bat in Triple-A and with the need on the team, we kind of need a little jolt. But at the same time, it was the right timing,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “This is a hitter with power, can hit the ball to all fields, great base runner and can play some second base.
“This is going to be an exciting day for Travis and for the organization, but we’re going to continue to work with him and help him develop.”
Bazzana’s path to the majors hit a bump last season when he missed two months because of an oblique strain. He had a .239 batting average with nine home runs, 39 RBIs and 12 stolen bases with Double-A Akron and Columbus.
He said spending the last part of the season in Triple-A helped build confidence going into this season.
“I mean, I would’ve hoped by 2026 I was able to impact this team kind of when I got drafted. So it’s good to be here now and a couple bumps, but I’m feeling really strong and in a perfect place to join and really help the team win,” he said. “I felt really good in the spring and felt like my work was really quality. I had a lot of good games with the WBC (World Baseball Classic), so definitely more prepared.”
Bazzana showed his potential during the WBC, when he had two hits and a home run for Australia in its 3-0 win over Taiwan.
It was Wednesday morning when the Guardians game started, but it aired on ESPN2 in Australia and Pacific Rim countries, as well as being streamed on Disney+.
“Our game’s really growing globally and just the opportunities that people have from all over the world to come play this beautiful game. It’s a wonderful thing that the game is growing and happy for Travis and happy for Australia,” Vogt said.
___
AP MLB:
