Sebastian Tan
July 5, 2026 — 1:49pm
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The remarkable rise and rise of Australia’s Travis Bazzana has continued, with the 23-year-old earning a maiden call-up for Major League Baseball’s All-Star game.
Bazzana made history when he joined the Cleveland Guardians as the No.1 pick in the 2024 MLB draft, marking the first time an Australian had ever been drafted in the first round.
Australian Travis Bazzana has made a sudden impact in baseball’s Major League. Getty Images
The Turramurra, NSW-raised product made his MLB debut on April 28 this year and has already produced some eye-catching form, resulting in a call-up for the Mid-Summer Classic in Philadelphia on July 14 (July 15 AEST).
Bazzana becomes just the fourth Australian to receive an All-Star nod, following in the footsteps of Dave Nilsson (1999), Grant Balfour (2013) and Liam Hendriks (2019, 2021, 2022).
Speaking 30 minutes after finding out about the honour, Bazzana said he was “speechless” when informed in front of his teammates that he was an All-Star.
“I didn’t expect it at all, there have been ups and downs and I feel like I haven’t been the most consistent version of myself,” Bazzana told media.
“To get the nod when I feel like there is a lot left in the tank is pretty cool. The guys have helped me bring out a version of myself who can perform to the level to receive this nod.”
The infielder has been selected in the American league’s squad as a player-elected reserve.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Bazzana and teammates Cade Smith and Messick who were all selected by their peers as All-Stars. Bazzana only earned his call-up to the majors on April 28.
“With Travis in particular being here for two months, to have his peers and his teammates are the ones who voted him in, so they are recognising what he is doing,” Vogt told media.
“What we’ve asked Travis to do, to come in as a rookie and hit at the top of the order, it’s not easy to do, and he’s handling it tremendously. It’s a very, very well-earned honour.”
Bazanna’s relatively rapid rise through the minor leagues started the 2025 season with the Akron RubberDucks in Double-A baseball before he finished that year with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.
Although proud to earn the All-Star nod, Bazzana vowed he more improvement to come.
“It puts perspective on things,” Bazzana said.
“I do set high expectations for myself. I’m going to continue to work. I think there’s a lot left that I can bring to the team on the field moving forward.
“Obviously, a good perspective to give to myself when I sometimes don’t give myself grace.
“Hopefully, we continue to have more All-Stars and more players that believe they can go and do really amazing things in MLB.”
Bazzana and teammate Parker Messick have notably been picked while rookies, a feat that has only been achieved at the Guardians by three previous players in franchise history.
It is just the fifth occasion that one MLB club has supplied multiple rookies in an All-Star game, with the most recent instance being the New York Yankees in 2014.
Bazzana covering second base for the Guardians.Getty Images
Bazzana has been instrumental in helping the Guardians push for a third consecutive post-season berth, becoming a regular at the top of Cleveland’s line-up.
Across 58 games, the Australian has whacked seven home runs, 12 doubles and 27 runs batted in (RBIs), with a batting average of .250 and an OBP (on-base percentage) of .341.
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Those numbers helped Bazzana receive All-Star selection through player balloting, a system where the competition’s players, managers and coaches vote to select the remaining pitchers and back-up players for the All-Star clash.
AAP with Roy Ward
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