Oregon State's Travis Bazzana Expected To Make Minor League Debut This Weekend
Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana earned the distinction of being the second #1 overall MLB Draft selection in Beaver history earlier this month. The Cleveland Guardians selected the Sydney, Australia native with the hope that, eventually, he can help bolster the infield and return the franchise to glory.
First, like the majority of draft picks, he'll need to further prepare himself with some time in Minor League Baseball. The Guardians announced this week that his debut should come this weekend for Eastlake, Ohio's Lake County Captains. The Captains are the Guardians' high Class-A affiliate.
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The Captains are currently on the road, in the midst of a five-game series against the Great Lakes Loons (a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate) in Midland, Michigan. The series continues Thursday evening at 7:05 ET. It's not known what game exactly Bazzana would make his debut with the series continuing through Sunday.
Bazzana signed his six-year rookie contract with the Guardians late last week for a reported $8,950,000.
This past season in Corvallis, the Pac-12 Player of the Year hit .407/.568/.911/1.479 with 28 home runs and 66 RBIs. Bazzana was one of seven Oregon State players selected in this season's draft.
JOE LONDERGAN
Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.