Travis Bazzana has etched his name in the history books as the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft’s first overall pick — a feat that has never been achieved by any Australian (nor second baseman). Until now.
Selected by the Cleveland Guardians, the 21-year-old phenom has been assigned a slot value of US$10.6 million under the league’s bonus pools system, which was established in 2012. And already, he’s been hailed as a potential “franchise-altering player.”
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“It means a lot. It is hard to put into words but it means everything. I’m just stoked and I’m really happy to be with the people I’m with right now,” said Travis Bazzana (via Fox Sports).
“I see a lot of opportunity to make an impact on a lot of baseball players and people back home and hopefully change the narrative for baseball. I think the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics are something I want to see on the cards and hopefully, we’ll compete there.”
He added: “But just giving belief to players back home that they can do great things in the US and pursue a Major League dream and hopefully this is a step towards that.”
Bazzana — who also grew up playing cricket, rugby, and soccer in Sydney — pivotally moved to the US to play college baseball for Oregon State. In his latest season, he hit .407 with 28 home runs and 66 RBIs.
As you’d expect from a talent of this calibre, he notably set an Oregon State single-season record by notching 84 runs and slugging .911 while stealing 16 bases and boasting a .568 on-base percentage. Now, he’ll have to prove his worth in the minor leagues before he gets tapped for the big time.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to live up to the hype a la previous #1 draft pick Paul Skenes. The fast-ball pitching Pittsburgh Pirate’s no-hitting/strike-out antics have since earned him the honour of becoming history’s first #1 draft pick to be called up for an MLB All-Star Game as a rookie (where he’ll open as a starting pitcher).
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Prior to Travis Bazzana, the highest an Australian had ever been drafted in the MLB was the third round: pitcher Josh Spence (2009) — though on this occasion, he opted not to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The Geelong native had actually been selected in the 25th round the year prior by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but in a similar fashion, chose to hold out; eventually signing with the San Diego Padres in the ninth round of the 2010 draft after they sweetened the pot with a US$100,000 bonus.
To date, including Bazzana, only 39 Australians have ever been drafted to Major League Baseball.
