FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Travis Bazzana played cricket, rugby and soccer growing up in Australia. What he always wanted was to be a major league baseball player.
“I don’t remember ever putting a different answer to what’s your dream job or what are you going to do in the future,” Bazzana said.
The second baseman, who at age 3 was playing T-Ball against kids twice his age, has taken a significant and historic step toward reaching his lifelong goal.
Bazzana came to the United States to play baseball at Oregon State, and after three seasons there was taken first overall by the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft Sunday night. The 21-year-old became the first Australian and first second baseman taken No. 1.
“There wasn’t much pressure as a 15-, 16-year-old in Australia, and there wasn’t much pressure as an incoming freshman at Oregon State. No one really expected anything from the Australian kid,” he said. “ (The pressure) continues to grow and it’ll grow when I make my big league debut and it’ll grow as everything happens. That’s just a part of it. And I think I’m focused on the process and have the right people around me enough to where those external pressures don’t usually have too much of an effect.”
When Bazzana’s name was called during the draft held in Texas, he was in a room above Oregon State’s baseball field surrounded by teammates, coaches and his immediate family. His parents, two older brothers and two aunts were there.
Bazzana said there were people that had flown there from Australia — about 8,000 miles — to share the moment in person with him.
“Not cheap, nor is it an easy flight. So, it’s pretty special to have these people here,” he said. “And, it was a cool place to do it, exactly where I got recruited. I got recruited right in these rooms, made those kind of decisions to be here, and then to kind of finish my journey here, it’s cool.”
In 184 games over three seasons with Oregon State, Bazzana hit .360 with 45 homers and 165 RBIs. He was a .407 hitter this season with 28 homers and 66 RBIs.
“He recognizes pitches exceedingly well,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “He knows the strike zone, makes good swing decisions, when he does choose to swing makes elite-level contact. And I think what’s really grown in Travis’s game over the past year or so is the ability to add impact and drive the ball.”
Bazzana said the Oregon State program allowed him to grow and be where he is today. Moving forward, he wants to keep doing all he can to have an impact and give back to baseball in Australia.
“This is the perfect step to kind of put me and other guys on the map. And also, I mean, the next 15-year-old kid … they set the standards a little higher, and they see that it’s possible,” he said. “It starts with building belief in the next generation of kids.”
There was also the mention of possible World Baseball Classics and maybe even Olympics “with a good group of guys … and show the world game what Australia can do and hopefully just continue to grow it.”
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