FORT WORTH, Texas – Australian second baseman Travis Bazzana was selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft on Sunday night, and three Wake Forest players were selected in the top 10.
A former cricket, rugby and soccer player who came to the United States to play baseball at Oregon State, the 21-year-old hit .407 with 28 home runs and 66 RBIs this season. He became the first Australian and the first second baseman to win the top spot.
“An opportunity to make an impact on a lot of baseball players and a lot of people in Australia, and hopefully change the narrative of baseball there,” Bazzana said.
Bazzana hit .360 in three seasons at Oregon State with 45 homers, 165 RBIs, 180 walks and 66 steals.
Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team made its decision Sunday.
“He recognizes pitches extremely well,” Antonetti said. “He knows the strike zone, makes good swing decisions, and when he chooses to swing, he makes elite-level contact. And I think what’s really grown in Travis’ game over the last year is his ability to add impact and drive the ball.”
Bazzana watched the Oregon State draft from the rooms where he was recruited, accompanied by his parents, brothers and aunts, as well as coaches and mentors.
“There are people who have flown from Australia, which is not cheap, nor is it an easy flight,” he said.
He was inspired by Ryan Rowland-Smith and Trent Oeltjen, Australians who made it to the MLB.
“They really helped me believe and see this path and get an opportunity at Oregon State, and they kind of helped me not set limits for myself,” he said.
Once in college, there was no pressure to produce.
“No one really expected anything from the Australian boy,” he said.
Baseball’s No. 1 selection this year has a slot value of $10,570,600 in the bonus pool system that began in 2012. Cleveland had the No. 1 pick for the first time since the draft began in 1965.
Only 10 high school players were among the 30 first-round picks.
Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns went second to Cincinnati, while Demon Deacons first baseman Nick Kurtz was the fourth pick to Oakland and third baseman/outfielder Seaver King was 10th to Washington.
Burns, 21, had a 10-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts and 30 walks in 100 innings in 16 starts. The Reds took Demon Deacons right-hander Rhett Lowder with the seventh overall selection last year.
Kurtz hit .306 with 22 home runs, 57 RBIs and 78 walks, and King hit .308 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs.
Colorado used the third pick on Georgia third baseman Charlie Condon, who started college as a walk-on. Projected first by some, the 6-foot-1 Condon led the NCAA this year with a .433 average and 37 homers. The 21-year-old played in eight consecutive games from April 26 to May 9, one shy of the NCAA record, and won the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player.
Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith, who had Tommy John surgery at age 16 in 2019, was drafted fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox. He went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 161 in 84 innings.
Kansas City was next and signed Jac Caglianone, a two-way player from Florida. A left-handed first baseman and pitcher, he hit .419 with 35 homers and 72 RBIs for the Gators this year, while going 5-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 83 and walking 50 in 73 2/3 Appetizer.
West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt was seventh for St. The 21-year-old hit .331 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 36 games, missing 24 games between Feb. 19 and April 5 due to a hamstring injury. thigh. He won the Division I batting title as a sophomore in 2023, hitting .449 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.
Wetherholt attended the draft wearing a black cowboy hat and bow tie. He quickly donned a Cardinals jersey and cap. Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore, also there, was taken in the eighth by the Los Angeles Angels.
Konnor Griffin was the first high school player drafted, going ninth by Pittsburgh. The 18-year-old is a shortstop and outfielder for Jackson Prep in Mississippi.
Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III was taken in the 13th by San Francisco and Seminoles teammate Cam Smith, a third baseman, went wide for the Chicago Cubs.
Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje was selected 15th overall by Seattle. Cijntje was born in the Netherlands, raised in Curacao and played in the 2016 Little League World Series. He was drafted in the 18th round by Milwaukee two years ago but left for college.
Cam Caminiti, cousin of 1986 NL MVP Ken Caminiti, was drafted 24th overall by Atlanta. The 17-year-old lefty hails from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Teams were scheduled to make the first 74 picks on Sunday at Cowtown Coliseum, with the remainder of the 20 rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Cleveland also picked 36th and 48th.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was booed by the approximately 2,000 fans in attendance when he took the stage through the set hall doors and each time returned to announce a selection. Spectators booed the Houston Astros and New York Yankees teams especially loudly.
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AP sports writers Schuyler Dixon and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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