The Cleveland Guardians made it to the American League Championship Series, only to be taken down by the New York Yankees. Many of the players that got the Guardians to the ALCS were home-grown players like Jose Ramirez and Brayan Rochio, with a slew of their pitchers. Their pitching development is arguably the best set-up in the whole sport, as they churn out good starters and sprouting-up elite relievers left, right, and center. Their system is headlined by Australian sensation Travis Bazzana, whom they selected first overall in the 2024 season, who is ready-made to be the Guardian's second-baseman at some point in 2024 because of an optimized swing and good power to go along with optimal swing decisions. They leveraged the money that comes with the number one pick to walk away with one of the better draft classes in recent memory, picking up a few different pitchers that they bought out of some heft college commitments to add to their development system. The Guardians are a competitive team with a large cache of prospects to help strengthen their big-league squad by way of promotion as they hope for with their top prospects, and if they identify someone who can help their big-league roster mid-season, they can trade from their abundance of up the middle hitters and pitchers.
About Our Top 20 Lists
Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team & Director of Scouting Rhys White, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team combines industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible view of the prospects in the organization.
We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.
In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked hard to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.
Below you'll find the top 5 players in the system with a full report for the #1 prospect in the system. The full rankings and scouting reports on all top 20 prospects per team will be available on our Patreon at the 55-tier ($5) as we publish them. We’ll also have additional content on Patreon for each team: Honorable Mentions, and Top 10 players 25 years and under.
Top 5 Team Rank and Scouting Report for #1 System Prospect Below
1. Travis Bazzana
DOB: 08/28/2002, HT: 6-0 WT: 199, H/T: L/R, Acquired: 2024, Round: 1
Highest Level:High-A, ETA: 2026
OFP: 60
Hit: 60, Power: 55, Field: 50, Throw: 45, Run: 60
Risk: High
Scouting Report:
Bazzana terrorized opposing pitching across three electric campaigns at Oregon State, where he slashed .360/.497/.660 with 45 home runs. The Australian native wound up being the first player off the board, spearheading an absurd Guardians class that is rich with talent. While it’s a bit unorthodox to take a second baseman at 1.1, Bazzana was ultimately the safest pick that Cleveland could have made. Bazzana’s frame is filled out, but the toolset is robust, especially at the plate. It’s an unorthodox swing with a significant leg kick and some stiffness, but Bazzana’s bat explodes through the zone, and he has some of the best barrel feel amongst any 2024 prospect. Bazzana has strong swing decisions and draws an immense amount of walks; his contact skills are extremely robust. It’s an easy plus-hit tool with compactness and uber-quick hands. Bazzana posted plus exit velocities with metal in college, eclipsing the 110 MPH barrier on multiple occasions, though that will settle out to above-average in the minors. He possesses exceptional bat speed, and he’s added more loft to his swing as his power plays to both sides of the field. With that said, his power plays best to this pull-side. Bazzana is a plus runner with an athletic gait and strong run times. Defensively, Bazzana’s speed gives him suitable range for shortstop, though his arm strength is fringe-average and limits him to second base. He may be blocked in the middle infield, given Cleveland’s major league depth, meaning that he may get moved to the outfield to create a spot for him. His speed would translate well in center field if such a move occurs. - Tyler Jennings
Fantasy Spin:
With Charlie Condon’s horrific debut, Bazzana had established himself as the clear 1.1 in FYPDs heading into this offseason. That changed with the news that Roki Sasaki would be posted, moving Bazzana to 1.2 in most drafts. Even still, he’s a great consolation prize. With above-average to plus power, speed, and hit tools, Bazzana has all the makings of a very good fantasy 2B and is a top-15 prospect. - Taylor Corso