Former Oregon State Standout Travis Bazzana Still Hitless in Big Leagues

Former Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana is in the big leagues. Through two games, he is still seeking his first major league base hit.

Apr 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) bats in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

On Monday night, Cleveland called up former first overall draft pick and Oregon State legend Travis Bazzana.

Through two games, the Guardians' second baseman is still searching for his first major league hit.

Batting seventh in lineup today, Bazzana battled fellow Oregon State alum Drew Rasmussen, who started on the mound for Tampa Bay. Rasmussen made Bazzana work for his banner day. In the bottom of the second inning, the Rays' veteran starter got the better of the rookie, forcing an easy groundout to Tampa Bay second baseman Richie Palacios.

Bazzana suffered the same fate in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Palacios scooped another grounder near second base.

Rasmussen's day ended after five innings. When Bazzana got another opportunity in the sixth inning, he faced reliever Casey Legumina, who forced a pop fly into center field. His rough day continued in the eighth inning with a shallow liner to Rays' shortstop Taylor Walls.

Bazzana, 23, was the 2024 MLB Draft's first overall pick. His journey to the big leagues has also featured a detour to the World Baseball Classic, representing his native country Australia. In twenty-four games this season with Cleveland's AAA affiliate in Columbus, the infielder from the Land Down Under averaged .287 while accruing 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, 18 scored runs, and 8 stolen bases.

Upon reaching the big leagues, Bazzana's college head coach Mitch Canham offered glowing praise to national baseball writer Zack Meisel at The Athletic:

“You don’t get out of Australia and be the No. 1 pick and absolutely dominate through college unless you are extremely motivated and have a work ethic that’s second to none. I think he’s been in that mode so long, he’s like, ‘Why would I change it?’ It’d probably feel weird. This is just normal to him.”

During his time at Oregon State, he broke the school's single-season records in runs scored (84), home runs (28) and slugging percentage ( .911). His draft resume included unanimous All-American honors, and the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year award. He also finished as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best player in all of college baseball.

Despite Bazzana not yet achieving the biggest milestone of his young career, Cleveland still found reason to celebrate: the Guardians defeated the Rays 3-1, and equaled their win/loss record at 16-16. The Guardians have a day off tomorrow before playing the Sacramento Athletics on Friday, with a first pitch slated for 6:40 PM PST.