In the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday Night, Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana as the no. 1 overall pick. He is the first second baseman ever chosen atop the draft and also the first Australian-born player ever to be selected in the first round in MLB history.
He has been the rumored favorite of the Cleveland Guardians for a long time and came out on top in the summer.
Travis Bazzana played cricket, rugby, and soccer growing up in Australia but he always had a soft spot for baseball. His goal was to become a Major League Baseball player and contribute to the sport.
Here is what he said one time. “I don’t remember ever putting a different answer to what’s your dream job or what are you going to do in the future.”
Bazzana came to the United States three years ago to play for Oregon State and now he was taken first overall by the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball draft.
He said. “There wasn’t much pressure as a 15-, 16-year-old in Australia, and there wasn’t much pressure as an incoming freshman at Oregon State. No one really expected anything from the Australian kid. And It continues to grow and it’ll grow when I make my big league debut and it’ll grow as everything happens. That’s just a part of it. And I think I’m focused on the process and have the right people around me enough to where those external pressures don’t usually have too much of an effect.”
Here is how Cleveland Guardians celebrated his selection.
Bazzana, 21, slashed .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs and more than twice as many walks (78) as strikeouts (37) in 60 games this year, finishing second nationally.