NAME: Travis Bazzana
SCHOOL: Oregon State
POSITION: 2B
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-0, 199
B/T: L/R
D.O.B.: 8/28/2002
Draft Scouting Report
The term ‘helium’ is generally thrown around too liberally during draft season, but if there ever was a time to pull it out of the bag again, it would be now, and it would be for Travis Bazzana. The Australian second baseman from Oregon State has shot up draft boards this season, and more often than not tops out at the number 1 spot. Truth be told: it may be a fair development, given the meteoric rise Bazzana has undergone.
Bazzana started his career in Australia, first as a cricket player and then as a member of the Sydney Bay Blue Sox, for whom he played from 2018 – 2021; that’s right, Bazzana made his debut in the ABL at age 15. In 2020, Bazzana was 17 at the time, he hit .304 with an .883 OPS for the Blue Sox, before breaking onto the American scene in the summer of 2021 as a member of the Summer League Corvallis Knights from Oregon, who play in the Summer West Coast League.
Travis Bazzana is unconscious right now. After hitting 3 HRs yesterday, he has 2 more today to up his season total 26. This one was an absolute TANK out to RF. Cannot emphasize enough how beautiful of an operation this is. So many things he is "elite" at. pic.twitter.com/u25EDDwbCk
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) May 6, 2024
Bazzana hit .429 in 210 plate appearances, and was scooped up by Oregon State to come play his college ball in the United States. After a good-not-great freshman season, Bazzana exploded and found the aforementioned helium on his way to the MLB Draft.
Whether it was his insane 2023, during which he reached base 50% of the time, notched a 1.112 OPS and stole 36 bases in 39 attempts, or his massive jump in power output in 2024 (28 home runs — up from 11 in 2023) and selective eye (25% walk-rate): Bazzana peaked at the right time. Add to his impressive statistical resume his spot as a finalist for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, handed out annually to the best player in College Baseball, a PAC-12 Player of the Year Award, and his batting title/MVP Award in the Cape Cod League, and it is fairly easy to see why Bazzana has shot to the top of draft boards.
Defensively, Bazzana demonstrates good range and a reliable glove at second base. His quick reflexes and accurate arm make him a defensive asset, one who turns double plays and covers ground effectively, albeit unspectacularly. His solid footwork and twitchy mechanics make him an above average defender for his position. In the past, Bazzana has played some outfield and a little bit of shortstop, but second base seems his destination.
The last time a second baseman was drafted #1 overall was… never, so Bazzana could break the mold here as well.
Why Would the White Sox Draft Travis Bazzana?
Travis Bazzana possesses superstar potential from the left side of the plate. The White Sox will have a decision to make if the Australian infielder is on the board at #5 overall. It would likely mean that other targets are somehow off the board and they’d likely need to spend the full slot value at #5 overall. It might be worth it to acquire the player who is ranked #1 in the entire draft class at most publications.
The White Sox have had a black hole at second base for over a decade. That isn’t why they would draft the Oregon State infielder but it could finally satisfy as a solution to their problem. He hits from the left side, possesses power and plays up the middle which would likely satisfy general manager Chris Getz’s wishes in his first draft in the big chair. Bazzana would immediately become one of the top prospects in the White Sox improving system and he’d be ranked in the top 75 prospects in baseball pretty much right away.
Bazzana would also likely report to Low-A Kannapolis pretty much immediately and his timeline to the big leagues isn’t expected to take very long overall. If he were the pick, expecting him to be the primary second baseman in Chicago for the majority of the 2026 big league season shouldn’t be seen as far fetched at all.
Travis Bazzana’s exit velocities from this weekends college baseball series at Globe Life
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) February 26, 2024
112.5
110.9
110.8
108.9
108.6
107.1
105.5
102.9
85.7
🔥
pic.twitter.com/TAkJVcj04O
Mock Draft Outcomes
MLB.com’s most recent mock draft from June 20 has Bazzana as the number 1 overall player, going to the Cleveland Guardians, as does The Athletic. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel slots him in at number 3 to the Colorado Rockies, while Prospects Live pushed Bazzana up the 4 to the Oakland Athletics (though their most recent mock is almost two months old). Joe Doyle over at FutureStars does the same with the Aussie, slotting him at 4 as well. In the latest edition for Baseball America, Carlos Collazo mocks Travis Bazzana to the Oakland Athletics for the #4 overall pick as well. In our Mock Draft 2.0, James Fox predicted that the Guardians would select Bazzana with the top choice as well.