Bazzana finding groove at Triple-A, swats first roundtripper of 2026
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Travis Bazzana seems to be finding his groove with Triple-A Columbus.
On Saturday afternoon, MLB’s No. 16 prospect blasted his first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-5 performance in Columbus’ 7-6 loss to Iowa (Cubs). In the ninth inning, Bazzana drove a 97 mph four-seamer from Gabe Klobosits just over the left-center-field wall at Huntington Park, the ball leaving his bat at 99.4 mph.
The 23-year-old made plenty of loud contact on the afternoon, as prior to the home run, Bazzana laced a 108.2 mph grounder in the first and 100.2 mph double in the fourth. He owns a 110.3 mph max exit velocity and 6.8 percent barrel rate this season.
Saturday’s performance is one that continues a recent hot streak for the Oregon State alum. Since April 7, he’s hitting .326 (15-for-46) with a .979 OPS, including posting two or more hits in five of his past seven games.
With an extremely refined and disciplined approach at the dish, Bazzana claims a 90.2 percent in-zone contact rate and 18.9 percent whiff rate to start the 2026 season -- both marks that rank in the 84th percentile or better among Triple-A batters this season. His short-compact swing, quick hands and strength allow the Guardians' No. 1 prospect to play for power from gap-to-gap.
The Sydney, Australia, product is coming off a strong 2025, which saw him post a 137 wRC+ and .379 wOBA in 374 plate appearances between Columbus, Double-A Akron and a rehab stint in the Arizona Complex League. Those numbers become a bit more impressive when you consider he was sidelined for two months -- and not always 100 percent when healthy -- with an oblique injury.
Now fully healthy, Bazzana has begun to flash more power than he did a year ago, collecting eight extra-base hits during this recent stretch. The power numbers could tick up even more if he's able to put the ball in the air more often to his pull side, something he did extremely well during his time in the collegiate ranks.
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Bazzana’s swing decisions and plate discipline remain exemplary. While it's a small 92 plate appearance sample size to open the year, he’s posted a 70 percent in-zone swing rate while walking at a 13 percent clip against just a 17.4 percent K rate.