Get to know Travis Bazzana, Guardians' No. 1 overall pick

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Travis Bazzana seemed like he was just one of the guys on Saturday, as he yelled and joked with some of the big leaguers after picking Josh Naylor’s brain at the cage while watching José Ramírez take batting practice. It’s a personality that’s ridiculously easy to get along with.

You can see for yourself. Let’s get to know the Guardians’ No. 1 overall pick:

When did you first start dreaming about becoming a Major League baseball player?
Bazzana: I think like 5, 6 [years old]. I don’t remember ever putting a different answer to, "What’s your dream job?" Or "What do you want to do in the future other than Major League Baseball player?" ... I played 6U T-ball when I was 3, and I know that by the time I was 4 or 5 there was an extreme passion there, and everyone could kind of see it around me.

You played so many sports growing up. Why was baseball the one?
Bazzana: I was hitting tennis balls off a tee, then my mom was bowling me cricket balls. And I was at the park kicking a soccer ball and I was also at the field playing touch rugby with my buddies. I was doing everything, but for some reason ... my identity was: I was the baseball kid and I brought that on. I did all these other things and enjoyed doing that with my friends, but my passion was always in baseball and I don't remember a time where I wasn't ever obsessing over the game and wanting to be at the field.

You’ve been very clear that you’re someone who studies everything about the game in order to get an edge. Have you been working on your game in the weeks after your Oregon State season ended and now?
Bazzana: I finished the season and spent some time with my family, some quality time, just kind of decompressed a little bit. But right after that, got the people that I trust to break down my season into a lot of different things, video and numbers, and figure out where's there room to improve and how can I make that next step? And then it was getting a wood bat back in my hands trying to prep my body these last couple of weeks leading up to be ready to go out and join [Lake County] and go play. … I’m super excited to take my game to where I can.

What’s it like to have your support system on the other side of the world?
Bazzana: I am lucky we're in a day and age where FaceTime's a thing so I can actually get some face-to-face, not just hearing a voice through the phone. … They watch games at 5 a.m. because of the time difference and all kinds of things, but they've been [an] unbelievable support and always there for me. In terms of travel, it's not a pretty flight. Usually you'd head from Sydney Airport to a major West Coast airport, which would be LAX or San Francisco, which is a 14-hour flight approximately. … It ends up being approximately a 20-hour travel time, and a lot of people struggle to sleep on flights, so you might be a little bit angry or in a bad place after that 20 hours.

What does your selection mean for Australia baseball?
Bazzana: We're in a day and age where the next Travis or the next kid back home can watch me when I have a good night at the plate or make a cool play on defense. They've being able to see my journey at Oregon State, and I realized this upcoming Draft is a stepping stone and it's an opportunity to where I can really grow the way Australians look at baseball.

But also just trying to build a powerhouse country in baseball. I’d love to go out to a World Baseball Classic one day or the Olympics and have a group of Major Leaguers that can go and compete with Team USA, Team Japan, the Dominican Republic. That's a dream of mine and it's going to take years. But I hope that the impact I'm having now, and the way I give back and present myself, provides belief for the next generation of Australian kids and also just allows sport fans back home to become Guardians fans and actually pay attention to some Major League Baseball.