Welcome to the Big Leagues: Travis Bazzana’s Spring Training Journey
GOODYEAR, Arizona, March 5, 2025 — For most players, spring training is a blend of competition for starting jobs and refining skills honed during the offseason. However, for young prospects like Travis Bazzana, it’s a pivotal first step into the world of professional baseball. Bazzana, the Cleveland Guardians’ top pick in last year’s MLB Draft and the 10th-ranked prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, is currently in the Guardians’ minor league camp, affectionately dubbed "depth camp."
Understanding Depth Camp
"Depth camp, from what I understand, might differ around MLB organizations," Bazzana explained. "But the way the Guardians do it is that I will be in the minor league clubhouse and stretch with the minor leaguers and practice, but then there’ll be meetings where we’ll be a part of the Major League group. There are different days where we’ll train with the Major League group, and then you’re the first people that get those extra innings when someone needs to come out [of a game]. So you’re ready to play in the Major League game, but often practicing with the minor league side."
Despite not being with the Major League players every day, the exposure to big league players and staff has been instrumental in Bazzana’s development. The 22-year-old, who excelled at Oregon State with a .360 batting average and a 1.157 OPS over three seasons, including 45 home runs, 165 RBIs, and 66 stolen bases, is learning that the transition from college to pro ball involves much more than just enhancing physical skills.
Learning from the Best
"It’s kind of cool to get out there on the same field as big league guys and compete at that level," Bazzana said. "I think there’s a lot to take from the big league players and staff because they all have their reasonings for their routines. The way they go about things and the way they carry themselves, you can kind of learn from lots of different people. One of the things I’m picking up from some of the clubhouse leaders is how they’re there for the guys in the dugout in different ways. Hedgey, Kwan, David Fry. They’re just really good at keeping the vibes and energy right, and really good at bringing out the best in their teammates."
The Mental Game
Keeping the right "vibes" and maintaining a healthy mental headspace is a significant focus for Bazzana this offseason. "The more you play the game, the more you learn just how important the mental side of the game is," he reflected. "That first period when I got to pro ball, I had to kind of reset myself. It’s still the same game, but you’re in a different environment, so it’s learning that, no matter the environment, no matter the externals, how can you get back to your best approach in the box on offense. Sometimes a new environment can make you see things differently or go about things in a different way, so it was about just learning, how do I get back to my optimal performance state before I get on the field?"
Adapting to Pro Ball
Bazzana’s 2024 pro ball results were not optimal on the surface. The 22-year-old hit .238 in 27 games at High-A with three home runs, 12 RBIs, five steals, and a .765 OPS. While these numbers are certainly not bad for a player in their first taste of pro ball, they were a learning experience for him. "Obviously, the level of play improves, and so it’s like, how do I get back to just peaking mentally?" he said. "Physically, the skills got you to a place…I had to understand how to prepare for certain pitches that are better in pro ball. You spend so much time in the same environment in college that when you get thrown into a new environment, you’ve gotta get back to the same game, same plans, routine. I do this thing for a living. I think that just was just a small period of time for me where I was like, ‘Oh, I gotta evolve.’"
Preparing for the Grind
One of the ways Bazzana is preparing to evolve the most is in his focus on his health and fitness. The step up in competition from college to the pros is significant, and preparing his body to handle the grind of a 162-game season is a major change from the 60-plus game college seasons. "I’m just trying to prepare myself to be the healthiest and best player for a full season," he explained. "In a 60-game college season, you can get away with a little more. I felt like I was locked in on that front and doing the right things, but you don’t want to miss on certain things in a full 162-game season. If you go out there and you’re under-recovered and you make that hard sprint, then you pull something."
Defensive Growth and Future Plans
Defensive growth is a critical aspect of Bazzana’s development. While he was not a poor defender in college, some scouting reports questioned his athletic upside and range at the big league level. However, much like with everything in his limited pro ball experience, Bazzana has embraced the challenge head-on. "As soon as I got to Lake County (the Guardians’ High-A affiliate), it was go time," he remembers. "Let’s have intention with the work defensively every single day. We’ve just been hammering down on [the plan]. My arm strength is cleaned up. My arm path on certain plays is more efficient, so I can get to good carry when I go to the backhand side, or I’m just faster with my transfers on double plays. There are just different things that we’re going about every single day with the work, and I’m starting to feel more confident in different plays and doing some things I’ve never done."
Looking Ahead
For Bazzana, that defensive growth will go a long way towards dictating how his 2025 season goes. Some experts, like MLB Pipeline’s senior writer Jim Callis, have predicted that Bazzana has a good chance to reach the big leagues this season after the Guardians traded away starting second baseman Andrés Giménez in the offseason. However, that’s not front of mind for the Guardians or Bazzana himself. "Wherever I am [this season], I just want to be the best winner and teammate I can be," said Bazzana. "Just enjoying the game, having the passion I have always had, and just going out and doing that every day. I mean, Andres moving, he’s a pretty incredible player, and I don’t think it had anything to do with me. There are incredible players playing second base [here in camp]. I think it’s just business."
As Vogt mentioned, the focus this season for Bazzana is not on how quickly he can make it to the big leagues but on learning how to play every day for a full season. "The org and I kind of came to an agreement; we’re gonna do everything we can, working in partner with each other, to be the best defensive second baseman I can be," explained Bazzana. "Obviously, the hitting stuff, you’ve always shown that, but if we can bring together both, then you’re going to be very valuable, and I see that. They see that, and the work has been quality, so I just hope to continue that."
At the end of the day, that continued work and day-in-day-out grind is the primary focus for Bazzana for the remainder of the spring. Vogt acknowledged that "he’s going to continue to get playing time every couple of days," but the whole organization knows that none of those spring at-bats will impact what Bazzana’s 2025 season looks like. He just wants to come out of these weeks in Arizona knowing that he "learned something and got better." The rest will take care of itself. "I have high expectations on how I’ll perform," he admitted. "As long as I go out and play my game and perform, moving up, or whatever it is, will take care of itself. If I’m bringing value to the game, someone’s gonna want that value. If I go out and play how I think I can play, there’s a time and a place where I’ll provide value at levels above, where I’ll start, but I just got to enjoy it and do what I can."
Judging by his approach to these early weeks of spring training, Guardians fans are going to enjoy what Bazzana is doing for many years to come.
