GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Travis Bazzana made sure to make the most of his final Cactus League game before he heads to Japan to represent Australia in the World Baseball Classic.
Bazzana’s blast came off a 98.5 mph sinker on the inner half of the plate. It traveled a Statcast-projected 423 feet and had a 107.8 mph exit velocity.
“I've been feeling like it's pretty close right now,” said Bazzana, who finished 2-for-3 after logging a base hit in the fifth. “I've been hitting the ball hard. I'm trying to go out there and compete, get a good pitch to hit and drive it, and make the most of every at-bat. I got a good pitch there and was on time.”
Bazzana entered Tuesday 0-for-5 with one walk through two games this spring, though there’s been quality contact in that sample.
In the third inning Saturday against the Brewers, Bazzana hit a 356-foot flyout to left field, which had a 99.4 mph exit velocity. In the sixth on Sunday against the A’s, he hit a 360-foot flyout to left-center field, which had a 100.4 mph exit velocity.
Both of those swings came against four-seam fastballs. Bazzana noted Tuesday he's been a touch late on heaters in the early going this spring, but has been on the barrel. He was right on time against Los Angeles.
“That's the loosest I've seen him,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of Bazzana’s home run. “Of course, this kid is gonna press. He's gonna want to do a lot. It looked like he was super relaxed, got a good pitch to hit and didn’t miss it. That was really good to see.”
Bazzana played seven innings defensively on Tuesday, a workload you typically wouldn’t see this early in Spring Training. But the Guardians wanted to ensure he was physically built up before he departed camp to join Australia.
After a day of practice at Cleveland’s facility on Wednesday, Bazzana will fly from Phoenix to San Francisco to Japan for the tournament.
“I’m feeling good,” Bazzana said. “Body feels good. Everything's good. I'm ready to go.”
The Guardians will continue to get a look at Bazzana in Spring Training once he returns from the Classic. Thus far, he’s shown the club a lot of good things at the plate.
“He manages the strike zone well,” Vogt said Monday. “Watching him work and watching him practice, the ingredients are there. He's got adjustability. He's got the ability to drive the ball. Obviously [he’s an] excellent, excellent decision-maker at the plate. We’re just going to continue to watch and learn.”