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Top college baseball prospect and Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana is impressed with the qualities of former Beaver and Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan both on and off the field.
On the Diggin' Deep podcast hosted by 13-year MLB veteran and former first-round pick Eric Hosmer and Australian relief pitcher and 12-year vet Peter Moylan, Bazzana spoke about how he and Kwan got acquainted and how they've connected since then.
"It was during the fall of my freshman year when he was out there hitting and like I got to hit with him and I got to talk to him on the field while I was playing catch.
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"He is such a good person and such a hard worker, humble good dude, always willing to give you advice and have a conversation not just about the big league. He's been awesome too," said Bazzana, who is tabbed as the No. 1 overall pick in this year's MLB draft by many experts' mock drafts.
The second baseman admired how Kwan progressed in the major leagues from being a Triple-A player and is now one of the key players of the Guardians, who own the top pick in the July 14-16 draft at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. It means there's a big chance that Bazzana and Kwan could end up as teammates in Cleveland in the future.
As a collegiate player, Kwan helped the Beavers win their third national title in 2018. The Los Gatos, California, native hit .355 with two home runs, 41 RBIs and 14 stolen bases that season and was the leadoff batter, ahead of Nick Madrigal, Trevor Larnach and Adley Rutschman.
Kwan was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB draft and was named in the Guardians' Opening Day roster in April 2022. He was a back-to-back Gold Glove awardee and was picked in this year's All-Star Game. He has hit .297 with 20 home runs, 133 RBIs and 44 stolen bases in three seasons with the Guardians.
Travis Bazzana speaks with 2019 MLB top pick Adley Rutschman
Aside from Steven Kwan, Travis Bazzana also had conversations with Baltimore Orioles catcher and 2019 top pick Adley Rutschman. Bazzana described the talks with Rutschman as quality ones, particularly on dealing with being a future top pick in the MLB draft and the pressure that goes with it.
"As of the last couple of months, we've really been able to have some quality conversations about this process and how it's getting a little more serious for me," Bazzana said of his previous conversations with the two-time All-Star catcher.
Travis Bazzana was chosen as the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and was the first-team All-American in various baseball award-giving bodies, including the ABCA and the NCBWA.
The junior appeared in 60 games this past season and hit .407 with a .568 on-base percentage and .911 slugging percentage. He smacked 28 home runs and produced 66 RBIs for the Beavers, who ruled the Corvallis regional before succumbing to Kentucky in the super regional.
Is Travis Bazzana the best pick for the Cleveland Guardians? Let's know your views in the comments section:
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