The Cleveland Guardians have been plagued by injuries throughout the season, and it appears that the team’s farm system is now affected as well. In a statement released on Tuesday, Cleveland said that Travis Bazzana, an infielder and one of baseball’s best prospects and last year’s first overall draft selection, will be out for between eight to ten weeks due to an internal oblique injury.
With the Guardians already experiencing a bit of a middle-infield issue, this is the last thing they needed. Daniel Schneemann has so far filled in brilliantly at second base, but Gabriel Arias hasn’t had the same luck. Brayan Rocchio struggled so horribly at the plate that he was finally relegated to Triple-A. Fans had hoped that Bazzana may be able to add some reinforcements later this summer, but that idea has now been put on hold. Cleveland came into Tuesday with the second-worst OPS from its shortstops in all of baseball this season.
But there is a far deeper profound dilemma that goes beyond the immediate setback. Last year, Cleveland was overjoyed to invest the first overall choice on Bazzana, who was regarded as the most pro-ready position player in the draft due to his stellar performance at Oregon State. However, less than a year later, the Guardians have one more cause to be a little concerned about the development of their top prospect. Additionally, a division opponent is putting one of the other players under consideration at 1.1 on the fast track to the Majors.
Guardians could live to regret passing up on Jac Caglianone
Jac Caglianone, a two-way standout at Florida who coupled light-tower power from the left side of the bat with a fastball in the mid 90s, was perhaps the most gifted player in the 2024 MLB Draft class. However, Cleveland chose Bazzana’s safety over his own, even though he batted over.400 with 35 home runs in his last season with the Gators.
It now seems reasonable to ask about the soundness of that decision. Bazzana was having a little more trouble as a professional than was expected even before to his accident. He has been cut. Despite not making as much contact as anticipated and not causing as much damage with that hit, he has a 252/.362/.433 record in 33 Double-A games this season. Of course, this is his first full season of playing professional ball, and he is still only 22. However, there were already concerns regarding his growth and potential ceiling, which this setback will only make worse.
Meantime, Caglianone? After a turbulent start to his season in Double-A, the Kansas City Royals advanced him to Triple-A on Monday, and he is well on his way to making an impression.
While Bazzana’s more well-rounded approach ultimately works, Caglianone still has some weaknesses in his enormous swing that might be exploited at the top level. Perhaps those pursuit and whiff problems will cause him to falter against big-league pitching. But as of right now, it appears like the Guardians, who have been longing for pop in their lineup for years, may have lost a great chance. There is still time for Bazzana to make things better, but time is running out, and Caglianone is only making things worse.
