Travis Bazzana’s first extended run in the majors is starting to look like more than a promising debut. It’s putting him squarely into the Rookie of the Year conversation, and former big league pitcher Jensen Lewis says he was willing to put money behind that belief before Cleveland even made the move.
Bazzana has kept producing since his call-up, and the numbers tell the story: a .248 average, nine home runs, 33 RBI and a .762 OPS across 70 games. For the Guardians, that’s the kind of steady offensive lift they were chasing when they brought him up.
Lewis said on BIGPLAY Cleveland that he backed Bazzana at 75 to 1 the night before the promotion became official.
“No doubt [I see Travis Bazzana in the Rookie of the Year conversation]. The night before he got called up, I took a little share of him at 75 to 1 for Rookie of the Year.
You had to. You’re not calling him up to sit.
You’re not calling him up to just face right-handed hitting. He’s coming in there to play every day, but more importantly, they brought him up so that there could be a lot of infusion offensively at the top of the lineup,” Lewis said.
That offensive infusion has shown up in real moments. Bazzana delivered a walk-off home run against Pittsburgh last weekend, then followed it with an RBI single in Tuesday’s win over the Twins. He’s also been on a run of getting hits in most of his games since the calendar turned to July.
The bigger picture only sharpens the spotlight. Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, and Cleveland has already gotten tangible production from him in his first long look in the big leagues.
With the Guardians still fighting for position in a tight AL Central race, Bazzana’s rise has become another important thread in their season. If he keeps this up through the second half, the Rookie of the Year buzz around him is only going to get louder.
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