Australian baseball star and No.1 draft pick Travis Bazzana is counting his blessings after signing a deal worth $A13.3 million with the Cleveland Guardians.
An ecstatic Bazzana was formally introduced on Friday and revealed shortly after he always wanted to be a Guard.
Bazzana was selected first overall from Oregon State in the 2024 MLB Draft.
The value of the No.1 pick draft slot was over $A15 million, and the Cincinnati Reds' agreement with No.2 pick Chase Burns was for $A13.8 million.
MLB assigned a $A16 million slot value to the top pick, but the 21-year-old second baseman from Sydney was realistic about the process, saying: "I was never going to get slot money anywhere."
"I wanted to be in a place where I could flourish and, with the identity of the way the Guardians play the game, this is where I wanted to be," the 6-foot, 199-pound Bazzana said.
"I put my trust in my great agents, but they knew I wanted to be a Guard."
The left-handed hitting Bazzana will be assigned to Class-A Lake County and could make his minor league debut later this month. The Captains play in Eastlake, Ohio, a short drive from downtown Cleveland.
Bazzana is scheduled to take batting practice with the Guardians on Saturday before the second game of the team's series against San Diego.
Bazzana is the first No.1 overall pick in franchise history and the first second baseman to be the top selection.
"I've been watching José Ramírez highlights over and over, then you get out there and say: "What's up? to him," Bazzana said of Cleveland's six-time All-Star third baseman. "That's when it sinks in a little bit."
In three seasons with Oregon State, Bazzana batted .360 with 45 home runs and 165 RBIs.
"I hope sports fans back in Australia will become Guardians fans and follow Major League Baseball," he said.
"It's exciting, knowing that the next Travis Bazzana can sit at home and watch me on my journey."
The 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Bazzana batted .407 with 28 homers and 66 RBIs for the Beavers, who advanced to a super regional as the No.15 national seed before losing a three-game series at second-seeded Kentucky.
Bazzana is the first Australian to be selected with the No.1 overall pick. He also set an Oregon State single-season record by scoring 84 runs and slugging .911 in 2024.
He also stole 16 bases and boasted a .568 on-base percentage last season, earning consensus first-team All-America status.
Bazzana grew up a keen cricketer and even captained his Turramurra High School team to their first ever state championship.
He started playing baseball in primary school and after making the switch from cricket at 15.
As a 15-year-old, Bazzana was by far the youngest in the Australian Baseball League when he made his debut for the Sydney Blue Sox in 2018.
He then made the move to America to play college baseball for the Oregon Beavers.
It was the first time that Cleveland have the top overall selection. They earned it after winning the draft lottery despite not having the worst regular-season record last year.
with AP and Reuters
