By Vince Rugari
Three months since he was made an instant multi-millionaire at the Major League Baseball draft, Sydney prodigy Travis Bazzana is set cross another item off his bucket list: playing for Australia.
Bazzana, who made history when the Cleveland Guardians selected him with the number one pick at the MLB draft in July, has been selected to make his senior international debut at next month’s Premier 12 to be staged across Japan, Mexico and Taiwan.
The 21-year-old infielder became the first Australian to be picked in the first round of the MLB draft and pocketed a signing bonus of $13 million – although he is yet to make his big league bow for the Guardians, who are currently playing in the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers.
Travis Bazzana is set to make his debut for Australia next month.Credit: Getty
After drafting him, Cleveland moved Bazzana to High-A affiliates the Lake County Captains, who play in the third-highest level of minor league baseball. Bazzana’s first home run in professional baseball was a grand slam, and averaged .238 across 27 games, and he has been ranked as the 11th-best prospect in all of MLB.
“My first few months with the Guardians have been great,” Bazzana told this masthead.
“Such a quality organisation and such attention to detail that’s made them so successful throughout all the ranks for years. I’ve just been impressed, and it’s been a great learning experience, playing every day and adapting to that new environment of professional baseball and also new levels of baseball. It’s been exciting and a new challenge that I’ve begun to take on.
“I’m really excited for what’s to come this next couple of months, with the Premier 12 and then an off-season to prepare for next year. Hopefully next year is a big one, and before that, the Guardians can continue this playoff run right now and hopefully make it or win a World Series this year.”
The Premier 12 is baseball’s second-biggest international tournament behind the MLB-run World Baseball Classic. The 12 participating nations cannot name any players listed on a 40-man MLB roster, enabling Bazzana – who is still a year or two away from cracking the top level with the Guardians – to pull on the green and gold.
Team Australia finished sixth at the last Premier 12 event in 2019 and made a stunning march to the quarter-finals of last year’s WBC, upsetting South Korea in their opening match.
“It means a lot,” said Bazzana.
“I’ve looked up to this team for years, and watched every big tournament ... my mentors and some of my idols playing for this men’s national team throughout my life, so it’s exciting to be able to play on that stage and be able to join this tight-knit group of guys that have had a lot of success in the past few years, and hopefully make an impact to keep moving the needle at this level and showing the younger generation how quality the future could be for Australian baseball.”
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