Travis Bazzana is the scariest leadoff hitter in America.
In March, MLB Pipeline's No. 2 Draft prospect cranked leadoff homers in four consecutive games for Oregon State. Bazzana has spent the entire college season hitting above .400, reaching base more than half the time, and has hit more home runs than all but three players in Division I. The seventh-ranked Beavers have one of the most dynamic lineups in college baseball in large part because their second baseman terrorizes pitchers from the top of the batting order.
So it seemed fitting when Bazzana set the school’s single-season home run record during Sunday’s 10-6 win over Washington State, with – what else? – a leadoff homer. After remaining tied for the record for three outings without a long ball, Bazzana took the record outright with his 22nd homer of the year, off right-hander Duke Brotherton in the top of the first inning. He wasn't close to done for the day.
Bazzana then built on that mark in the fourth, crushing another solo shot off Brotherton, and added a two-run homer -- his third of the afternoon -- off righty Kevin Haynes in the seventh. Bazzana also walked twice, reaching base five times on his record-setting afternoon.
Not only did he eclipse Jim Wilson's 1982 single-season record for homers, but his first-inning homer was Bazzana's seventh leadoff homer of the year -- another school record. The 21-year-old set Oregon State’s career record for long balls in early April.
Bazzana entered the year considered one of the top players in the country and has done nothing but live up to those expectations – and then some. The Australia native is hitting .422 with a .587 on-base-percentage, a 1.568 OPS and an eye-popping 59-24 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He’s also got 24 homers, 158 total bases and 12 steals (in 17 attempts) in only 46 games.
This production has made Bazzana a candidate to be chosen in the top three picks of July's MLB Draft, and possibly first overall. MLB Pipeline's latest mock draft has him going second overall to the Reds.