Travis Bazzana, the first Australian to be taken with the No.1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft, has quickly become a favourite of the Cleveland Guardians since debuting in April.
“Make that beloved,” said one long-time Cleveland-based Indians supporter who has strong connections to franchise ownership.
From walking out to bat to Men at Work’s iconic Australian hit Down Under, which had the local crowd in raptures, to remarkably becoming an All-Star as a rookie through his power hitting, and clever work as second baseman, the Turramurra, NSW-raised product has emerged as must-watch viewing.
And that box office appeal has only grown through the MLB play-offs, with Bazzana, 24, having a major impact as the Guardians pursue a berth in the World Series. They are locked at 1-1 with the Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-seven, American League championship series, with game three early on Friday (4am AEDT).
Just as September is the month to make a splash if you are an AFL or NRL player, October is the month of the MLB season. And Bazzana has flourished, a clutch run-batted-in double helping to keep the Guardians’ play-off dream alive in game four against the Chicago White Sox earlier this month.
“He’s an animal,” Guardians pitcher Parker Messick told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“He loves the game of baseball. He takes it very seriously every at-bat. Every time he’s on first base, every play in the infield, he’s locked in.”
Bazzana, only the seventh Australian to feature in an MLB post-season, has embraced the October spotlight, but says he is still honing that “anchor” which delivers consistent success.
“I’m still working through that and trying to become more consistent,” Bazzana said.
“It’s like: ‘What are the things that you do well and what are the things the team does well?’ When it starts to trend downhill, how can you flip back into those things and feel confident and calm when you go out there to then execute what you’ve worked on your whole life?”
And it’s been virtually his whole life that Bazzana has been preparing for this moment.
He began playing T-ball for the Ku-Ring-Gai Stealers, the then three-year-old keen to join his brothers on the field.
Meticulous in his attention to detail, whether that be in how he packed his bag, or the time spent analysing footage of the world’s best players, Bazzana progressed from the Stealers to Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League. Then came a major break in 2021 when he was recruited by one of US college’s elite baseball programs, Oregon State University.
In three seasons, he claimed the college’s records for hits (251), home runs (45), doubles (52), stolen bases (66), total bases (460) and walks (180). A two-time All-America first team selection, the Guardians took him with the first pick of the 2024 MLB draft.
Bazzana bided his time in the minor leagues with the Guardians’ affiliates, the Akron RubberDucks in Double-A baseball before he was elevated to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, his call-up to the big league coming this year on April 28.
He quickly became a crucial cog, earning All-Star selection in July. His five home runs during a 10-game stretch in September helped the Guardians win seven games, and emerge as a power in the American League Central Division.
“Don’t let anyone set limits on what your belief is or what you think you can do,” Bazzana told the Akron Beacon Journal.
“I think that was a big thing that helped [at] 14, 15, as I started growing up, I really thought I could do whatever I set my mind to, and I wasn’t letting people taper those expectations or those goals. And I think that’s massive.”
Bazzana also represented Australia this year at the World Baseball Classic, his magic moment coming when he blasted a 380-foot home run off Chinese Taipei in Australia’s 3-0 win in Tokyo.
His work on base has also been outstanding, his hard work noted by Justin Lada, co-host of the Locked On Guardians podcast.
“Travis Bazzana has really improved his throwing throughout the year,” Lada wrote on X.
“I am not surprised. Not sure where he ends up defensively but I figured he’d put in the meaningful work to improve and I’d say he clearly has.”
The exclusive list of Australian-born players to feature in the MLB post-season reads as pitchers Grant Balfour, Graeme Lloyd, three-time All Star Liam Hendriks, Peter Moylan, Damian Moss and Josh Hendrickson. Bazzana and Boston Red Sox first baseman Curtis Mead are the only position players to do so.
Only Lloyd has won the World Series, as a relief pitcher with the Joe Torre-managed New York Yankees in 1996 and 1998. Don’t rule out Bazzana’s remarkable year netting yet another stunning achievement.
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