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Mock Draft: Guardians Select Home Run Hitting Middle Infielder
Perfect Game predicts the Cleveland Guardians to select Travis Bazzana first overall in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Cleveland Guardians fans need to be paying attention to college baseball this season. One of the top players in the sport will end up in the organization thanks to the Guardians winning the MLB draft lottery and being rewarded with the number one overall pick in July.
There are plenty of intriguing prospects for the front office to choose from. In some ways, having the first overall pick makes their job even more difficult considering the pressure is on to choose the right one.
Perfect Game released their most recent mock draft and they predict the Guardians to select 2B Travis Bazzana out of Oregon State University. (Steven Kwan, who also went to OSU, would likely be on board with this selection.)
Jun 12, 2022; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers infielder Travis Bazzana (37) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Auburn Tigers in the 4th inning during Game 2 of a NCAA Super Regional game at Coleman Field. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Bazzana has been unbelievable through the first half of the 2024 collegiate season. The Australian native is currently hitting .466/.608/1.060 with an OPS of 1.037. These stats include 29 extra-base hits, including 18 home runs. The bottom line is that he can hit.
If Cleveland does choose to take this direction in the draft, the narrative that “the Guardians only select middle infield prospects” will certainly come up. While yes, the organization does have a log jam in that position group, the reality is none of them have the power potential that Bazzana does.
The draft is still over three months away so the consensus on who will go number one overall is likely to change in that time and by different talent evaluators. Other popular potential selections for Cleveland include Charlie Condon (University of Georgia), Nick Kurtz (Wake Forest), and JJ Wetherholt (West Virgian).
