Chase Burns vs. Travis Bazzana: Who's the better fit for the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 MLB draft?
The Cleveland Guardians will get the first overall pick in the MLB Draft for the first time in their history this year. This presents them with the perfect opportunity to pick one of the biggest talents in college baseball on July 14. Over the course of this season, several players have stood out to prove that the Guardians are certainly are not short on options.
Two of those options are among the most feared players in NCAA baseball this season and are predicted to be among the top candidates to be the top pick in the draft. The first player is right-handed ace Chase Burns, and the other is Oregon State Beavers' star second baseman Travis Bazzana.
Here, we take a look at which of these two stars will be a better fit for the Cleveland Guardians in the 2025 season.
Is Chase Burns or Travis Bazzana better suited to represent the Cleveland Guardians?
Chase Burns, Wake Forest
Chase Burns made a brave decision to transfer from Tennessee to Wake Forest this season. Although he missed out on winning the NCAA Tournament with the Volunteers, he made a name for himself at Wake Forest, becoming one of the Demon Deacons' standouts.
Burns recorded a startling 191 strikeouts this season in just 100.0 innings pitched, breaking the single-season program record for most strikeouts. In addition, he led the country in this statistic, with Arkansas Razorbacks' Hagen Smith finishing a distant second with 161.
Burns achieved this with an ERA of 2.70 while going 14-3 in the season. His exploits on the mound earned him First-Team All-American honors and won him the ACC Pitcher of the Year award this season.
Travis Bazzana, Oregon State
Travis Bazzana enjoyed his strongest season for the Beavers this year, setting new program records along the way. He set new single-season records for home runs (28) and runs (84) while tying Beavers alumni and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman's record for walks (76).
Bazzana also became the program's all-time leader in home runs (45), walks (180) and stolen bases (66). Along with 28 home runs, he also drove in 66 runs this season with an average of .407, the eighth highest in the country.
Who is better suited for the Cleveland Guardians?
Bazzana's threat at the plate is too good to ignore for the Cleveland Guardians. Although they currently lead the AL Central division, they rank 13th among all MLB teams in batting average. Bazzana will add depth to their hitting line-up, making them a more fearsome team in the years to come.
The Guardians do not necessarily need to add Burns to their line-up, given that they have the eighth lowest ERA in the country. They can choose a solid rotation option later on in the draft to improve their bullpen instead.