Guardians’ Travis Bazzana drops overlooked claim on Australia’s baseball talent

Travis Bazzana will probably make his MLB debut at some point this upcoming season, but before he dons a Cleveland Guardians uniform in an official game, the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick will represent his native Australia in the World Baseball Classic. Much of the focus heading into the global tournament is on the supremely talented United States, reigning champion Japan and the always dangerous Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico squads, but Bazzana wants people to respect the Land Down Under.

“The baseball community is strong in Australia,” he told reporters at the Guardians’ spring training camp in Goodyear, Arizona, per News 5 Cleveland’s Mason Horodyski. “We just maybe don’t get too many looks from people outside of the baseball community.

“There’s some other dominant sports currently, {so} we have to take opportunities to put our best foot forward and have some success. Then people start to latch on and realize that there is quality baseball — players and teams — in Australia. A lot of people living there don’t even really realize that we can compete on the world stage. They don’t know. They think it’s an American sport and that’s about it. But there is some talent there.”

"The baseball community is strong in Australia. We just maybe don't get too many looks from people outside of the baseball community"#Guardians Travis Bazzana is excited to showcase what Austrailan baseball is made of at the World Baseball Classic #GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/I7jnN1NN7q

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) February 19, 2026

Bazzana sounds like a man who is eager to make a statement in the WBC. Considering the Aussies are in the same group as Japan and Korea, it will be extremely difficult for them to reach the quarterfinals. Though, people expressed a similar opinion about their chances in 2023.

Australia upset Korea in the last World Baseball Classic to advance out of pool play and then gave Cuba a tough battle in the quarters. Judging by Bazzana’s comments, this unheralded squad will enter the competition with extra motivation. A title is likely unattainable, but the Australians can still force everyone to take a closer look at their brand of baseball.

Travis Bazzana will continue to put in work with the Guardians before departing for Tokyo.

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