The Guardians and Travis Bazzana were a match made in heaven. It took two chances for the Guardians to win the MLB Draft lottery — the Washington Nationals won the first time, but were ineligible to pick before the No. 10 spot — but the ping pong balls bounced their way to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. It took an even bigger stroke of luck that such a great match for them in Bazzana was available in the 2024 draft class. Related Articles Guardians conclude spring with getaway 3-2 win over Diamondbacks Bold new rules have reshaped baseball. Could more changes save starting pitching? Cantillo earns Guardians final bullpen spot; Brennan optioned to Columbus Reds hammer Guardians, 13-2 Logan Allen named Guardians fifth starter; Triston McKenzie sent to bullpen The Australian-born second baseman was already talented enough to be a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. But Bazzana is built different, as the kids say. What separates the good from the great is that he wakes up obsessed with how he can get better and take his game to new heights. He probably dreams about it, too. That drive elevated Bazzana to the top selection in the draft. Bazzana even took an underslot deal to be the top pick in the draft to come to Cleveland, which allowed Cleveland to use its huge bonus pool throughout the draft to land a highly regarded 2024 class. Now that Bazzana and the Guardians are together, the next question becomes how quickly he can make the keystone position and a spot in the batting order at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario his permanent residence (for the next five to seven years, anyway). Expectations for early college draft picks have changed a little. Several members of the 2023 draft class, including the No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes, have already made their debuts. The only recent example of Guardians draft picks to debut in short order was reliever Andrew Walters last season. He was the team’s second-round pick in 2022. Cleveland is typically methodical when it comes to prospect development. But Bazzana is no ordinary prospect. It took some time for Bazzana to settle in as he started his pro career in Lake County. He did not have the same level of success in college, understandably so. He started to get more comfortable and productive as the Captains made their run toward the Midwest League title. Bazzana had a plan to improve himself offensively in college, looking to adjust his swing to hit more fly balls to his pull side to tap into as much power as he could get to — and succeeded — jumping from 11 homers in 2023 to 28 in 2024. He of course had a plan to go to work over the offseason to attack his game once he got into the organization. “(Travis) continues to be relentless in his work and desire to improve,” Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti told the media at spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. “Since his offseason ended, he wanted to attack his defense. He spent a week in Colorado working with Kai Correa (director of team defense and baserunning) trying to get a foundation. He put in a ton of work over the winter. He came out to Goodyear early and has continued to work on all sides of the ball.” That comes as no surprise as the area where Bazzana needs to improve the most is his defense, particularly his throwing arm. The Guardians may have to manage Bazzana’s expectations of himself and slow him down. “It’s a continual dialogue we have with Travis,” Antonetti continued. “What we try to share is that, ‘The draft is over. At this point, it doesn’t matter where you were selected. You’re now in the player development system and what’s important, just like any other players, is what you can control in this moment.” But Bazzana’s minor-league performance won’t completely control where he finishes the 2025 season. Cleveland needs to get a look at Juan Brito, who hasn’t yet established himself this spring and was optioned to Triple-A on March 21, as a major-leaguer. Gabriel Arias is trying to establish himself after intermittent experience at the major-league level. Angel Martinez can also handle second base, but was optioned the same day as Brito. The Guardians’ success this year, another thing Bazzana cannot control, may also factor into his arrival. If the Guardians are not contending for a playoff spot, will they risk giving up any of Bazzana’s service time for a season that doesn’t continue into October? Furthermore, if there is a need for Bazzana later in 2025 — if Arias, Brito, or any of the other second-base cast members on the merry-go-round struggle, will the Guardians be able to contend while those players struggle? There is precedent for it: Josh Barfield struggled in 2007 and Cleveland turned to 20-year-old Asdrubal Cabrera late in the season and never looked back. Andres Gimenez only gave the Guardians a .252/.298/.340 offensive line in 2024, though he played Gold Glove defense once again. Francisco Lindor made his debut midway through the year just over 10 years ago in a season when Cleveland was not at the top of the standings. Then in 2016, the club opened a big window of contention by going to the World Series with Lindor and his running mate, Jose Ramirez. Bazzana is a winner and has a similar winning aura about him. Could he be up alongside Ramirez to help carry the Guardians into another window? Would a pre-debut extension change the calculation? He’s not alone on the prospect list. Cleveland should see some other reinforcements arrive in 2025, including Brito, hopefully Chase DeLauter, who is recovering from bilateral core surgery, Walters, Doug Nikhazy and Franco Aleman. The Guardians have a bit of a treasure chest of prospects they could deal from to add needed pieces in July, too. But in reality, the Guardians and Bazzana need each other. The question is how soon will they be ready for each other? ...read more read less