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You might not know who Travis Bazzana is yet, but he hopes you soon will.
In 2024, Bazzana made history as Australia’s first No.1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft – and on Sunday, he will join his countrymen in trying to cause a titanic upset against defending champions Japan at the World Baseball Classic.
Baseballer Travis Bazzana is one of a number of young Australians achieving great things in sport in the United States.Credit: AP
Australia and Bazzana are already off to a great start at the tournament, which is baseball’s equivalent of a world cup, winning their opener 3-0 over world No.2 Chinese Taipei on Thursday night, with the Sydneysider slugging a homer. Their pool also features the Czech Republic, Japan and South Korea.
But the match against Japan, in Tokyo, will take things to another level.
Japan’s roster includes eight MLB stars, including reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate – and modern-day Babe Ruth – Shohei Ohtani, who is building a strong case as the sport’s GOAT.
“Playing against Team Japan in Japan is a spectacle of sport that no one will understand until you see it, or are involved in it,” Bazzana told this masthead from Tokyo.
No.1 draft pick Travis Bazzana and Team Australia are preparing to face the might of Japan.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s like playing England in England in soccer, or rugby against New Zealand in New Zealand. It’s very exciting, and something that I’m going to cherish for the rest of my career.
“It’s a World Series-type environment, so I’m definitely fired up … we feel like we have a strong chance to move out of this pool and on to the next stage.”
The 23-year-old, who scored a signing bonus worth about $13 million for being the No.1 pick, jumped on a flight to Tokyo after socking a 423-foot (129m), three-run homer against the Dodgers in spring training, MLB’s pre-season period.
He is the lead-off hitter for Australia and patrolling second base, as he does for the Cleveland Guardians’ minor league affiliate Columbus – and soon enough, the Guardians despite previous murmurings about him switching to the outfield.
MLB.com rates him as the No.20 prospect in all of baseball. Baseball America ranks him at No.22.
Australia’s Matthew Dellavedova, an NBA champion in Cleveland alongside LeBron James, is among the athletes who have developed a relationship with Bazzana since his life-changing draft selection, while the baseballer also hopes to meet star golfer Jason Day, who lives on a 300-acre estate near Columbus.
Bazzana can still get around without being stopped every time he leaves home, but would welcome that changing.
“I love the pressure, and I love the expectations that I feel like I earned,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to being on that stage, and sort of envisioning that, my whole life.”
No.1 pick Bazzana hopes to make his Major League Baseball debut in this coming season.Credit: AP
Being a top baseball prospect is a wildly different experience to other sports. In leagues such as the NBA, top 10 draftees (think Australia’s Josh Giddey and Ben Simmons) regularly make an instant impact for their teams.
But in baseball, draftees head to their MLB club’s “farm system” to negotiate the minor leagues and continue dreaming of reaching “the Show” – a process that can take years.
Bazzana will return to spring training after the World Baseball Classic, hoping to convince Guardians manager Stephen Vogt that he is ready to be called up.
An oblique injury on both sides of his body interrupted his 2025 campaign, but he is healthy now and fresh from a self-described strong off-season.
“There’s a lot of spring training left to go for things to pan out, but the team’s trying to prepare me best to have a long career in the big leagues,” Bazzana said.
“It’s possible for me to make the opening-day roster, but there’s a likelihood they will want to see me get a little more time in Triple A, and then when I’m showing it’s ‘go time’, there’s an opportunity for me to help the team win at the major league level sooner rather than later.
“I think I could help them win now, but there are things that go into it, other than me thinking that.”
Australia has a modest, but proud, history in the Major Leagues, headlined by two-time World Series champion Graeme Lloyd, and All-Stars Dave Nilsson – the country’s current manager – Liam Hendriks and Grant Balfour.
Another promising player on Australia’s team is Chicago White Sox infielder Curtis Mead, while Hendriks is recovering from elbow surgery but may pitch if Nilsson’s team advances to the knockout stage again.
“I think we’ve got a shot to do something pretty special,” Bazzana said.
The young star also has big plans himself, for this tournament and beyond.
He insists he is not smitten with the riches that could await him if he realises his immense potential – and his only splurge from his signing bonus was buying a black Mercedes-Benz.
Bazzana is chasing his baseball dreams in the United States.Credit: AP
Bazzana instead wants to trigger a surge in baseball popularity in Australia, which the sport’s national body reported in July was already happening, with participation numbers up by 10.6 per cent across the previous two years.
Call it the Bazzana effect.
“I have an opportunity to bring people to the game and potentially give back, to let the growth continue past me,” he said.
“There’s nothing stopping us as a country from being great at baseball.”
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