Cleveland Guardians 2024 MLB Draft Report Card

Best Pure Hitter: Second baseman Travis Bazzana (1) was one of the most complete hitters in the draft and was one of two hitters to earn a hit tool grade above 60. There are some scouts who will put 70-grade evals on his hitting ability thanks to his extensive track record of performance, plate discipline, control of the zone, bat-to-ball skills and elite angles on balls in play. He is a career .360 hitter with Oregon State and is now the all-time program leader with 251 career hits.

Best Power Hitter: Bazzana (1) don’t have the most raw power in the class, but the Guardians expect him to be the sort of hitter who absolutely maximizes the raw power he has thanks to his contact skills and ability to put the ball in the air to the pull side. Bazzana went from six home runs with Oregon State in 2022, to 11 in 2023 and 28 in 2024 as a junior. Outfielder Ryan Cesarini (14) could be a dark horse candidate for this category after producing similar top-end exit velocities to Bazzana in pro ball and showing off impressive bat speed.

Fastest Runner: Cesarini (14) earns consistent plus run grades and is probably the quickest runner in terms of pure footspeed in this Guardians draft class. Bazzana (1) deserves a nod here as well as a plus runner and savvy basestealer who went 66-for-77 (85.7%) on the bases with Oregon State. Shortstop Garrett Howe (11) is another plus runner who went 23-for-25 (92%) on the bases last spring with Samford.

Best Defensive Player: Catcher Jacob Cozart (2) is a bigger-than-average catcher, but he has always impressed as a defender behind the plate. The Guardians thought he had some of the best receiving skills in the class and he also threw out 33% of baserunners last spring with NC State. Cleveland also noted his obsessive work ethic when it came to improving his game behind the plate. In a similar fashion, the Guardians have already been encouraged with the defensive improvements that Bazzana (1) has shown since joining the org.

Best Fastball: All but five of the players Cleveland drafted in 2024 were pitchers, so there are plenty of options for the next few categories. Righthander Chase Mobley (10) and lefthander Donovan Zsak (8) have both flirted with triple-digit velocity and are likely the two obvious names from a sheer velocity standpoint. Righthander Joey Oakie’s (3) combination of present velocity, velocity projection and life might make his heater the toughest to face. Other candidates include righthander Aiden Major (5) who has solid four-seam life and lefthander Rafe Schlesinger (4) who throws a two-seam from a lower slot and has a flat vertical approach angle on his pitch. Righthander Cam Sullivan (7) made impressive progress with his fastball velocity over the course of the draft cycle and has been up to 97. If we had to pick one name here it would be Oakie (1s). 

Best Secondary Pitch: Oakie (3) is also a strong candidate here thanks to a devastating slider, but righthander Braylon Doughty (1s) had some of the best pure feel to spin the ball of anyone in the class and owns multiple breaking ball variations that project as plus offerings. The Guardians might have been even more impressed with Doughty’s curveball after signing and throwing in a few pens than they were before the draft—his curve is a huge bender that gets up to 3,200 rpm and could become a real hammer of an out pitch. Schlesinger (4) and Major (5) both have sliders that could be above-average as well. 

Best Pro Debut: Cesarini (14) played 13 games with Low-A Lynchburg and slashed .283/.370/.544 with a .914 OPS and strong batted ball metrics. Lefthander Caden Favors (6) struck out 24.5% of the batters he faced in an 11.2-inning sample with the same club.

Best Athlete: Doughty (1s) seems to be one of those athletes who finds success at whatever he does. He’s a high-level golfer, has kicked a 60-yard field goal on the football field and managed to earn a 36th overall selection as a righthander despite being relatively new to pitching. Bazzana (1) is also a standout athlete. 

Most Intriguing Background: Bazzana (1) became both the first Australian player and first second baseman ever selected first overall this year. Righthander Sean Matson (9) comes from a hyper athletic family. His father Brian played baseball at Delaware, his mother Jill played softball at Yale and his sister Erin is an icon at North Carolina after winning four straight national titles in field hockey as a player, then graduating, taking on the head coaching role and winning a fifth as a coach in her first season in that role. Sullivan (7) speaks conversational Chinese and righthander Jacob Remily (16) was the only player drafted from Hawaii this year.

Closest To The Majors: Bazzana (1) has the baseball skills and makeup to move rapidly through the minors and could be one of the quicker-moving hitters in the 2024 class as a whole. 

Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): The early returns from Cesarini (14) have the Guardians extremely excited about a player who signed for just $150,000. His combination of bat speed, swing decisions and foot speed is enticing, especially if he’s able to handle center field in a pinch after primarily playing left for St. Joseph’s.