CLEVELAND, OH - The Cleveland Guardians have selected from with the first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. This is the first time in franchise history that Cleveland has selected first overall.
In 60 games for Oregon State, Bazzana hit .407 with 28 home runs and 66 RBI. He also boasted a 1.479 OPS with 76 walks and just 37 strikeouts in 296 plate appearances in 2024. His 76 walks were the second most in NCAA Division I. The 21-year-old second baseman and outfielder also is a threat on the base paths with 16 stolen bases this season.
ESPN MLB analyst Kiley McDaniel had Bazzana rated as his second best prospect in the draft, behind Georgia's Charlie Condon. “He has a borderline obsession with optimizing his offensive approach and preaching about analytics to his teammates, which demonstrates an often unknown variable in projecting how quickly a hitter will make adjustments in pro ball,” McDaniel said of the Austrailian star prospect.
With the Guardians having the first pick in the draft, they have the most bonus money allotted for a single pick ($10,570,600), as well as the most bonus pool money for the entire draft ($18,334,000). They can sign for more or less than their slot value, which could effect the rest of the class.
For example, the Guardians selected first baseman Ralphy Velasquez of Huntington Beach (California) High School with the 23rd pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He signed for $2.5 million, $800,000 less than the 23rd pick, which allowed the team to spend $900,000 more on left handed pitcher Alex Clemmey, from Bishop Hendrickson High School (Warwick, RI) with the 58th pick.