RADIO
Rookie Travis Bazzana Still Worth a Roster Spot for Speed?
Cleveland Guardians rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick from Oregon State University in 2024, was hitting .294/.389/.450 with an .838 OPS, three homers, eight doubles, 11 RBI, eight stolen bases, and 13 runs scored in his first 30 games after debuting with Cleveland on April 28. Since June 2, though, he has hit just .193 (26-for-135) with four homers, six doubles, a triple, 17 RBI, 17 runs scored, five steals, 17 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 35 games to drop his overall line to .238/.330/.389 in his first 282 MLB plate appearances. Bazzana goes into this week's All-Star break hitting .200 (8-for-40) with three doubles, three RBI, four runs, a stolen base, five walks, and 13 K's in 10 games in July. The 23-year-old left-handed-hitting Aussie is known for his advanced plate discipline, and he has backed that up with a walk rate in the 75th percentile and a chase rate in the 71st percentile. However, his xOBP is in just the 40th percentile thanks to a hard-hit rate in the 27th percentile and a barrel rate in the 18th percentile. Bazzana has the plate skills, but he's not squaring the ball up enough consistently yet at the big-league level. Still, he's useful for his speed (13 steals) in deeper fantasy formats going into the second half.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
