Since the All-Star break, the Guardians have been going up-and-up in the standings, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.
Bazzana to Triple-A
Cleveland’s No. 1 prospect and the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Travis Bazzana, has made it one step closer to making his MLB debut. On Sunday afternoon, the Guardians announced that they would be promoting Bazzana to their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. In 51 games with Double-A Akron this season, the No. 12 overall prospect hit .256/.364/.426
with five home runs. He missed nearly two months of the season due to injury, but has still proven that he deserves the move up. If he can stay healthy, we may very well see him at Progressive Field in late September.
Kayfus Off to Hot Start
Since his MLB debut on August 2nd, outfielder C.J. Kayfus has been on fire. In just eight games with the club, he’s hitting .269/.321/.500 with a home run and five RBI. He’s made an impact in nearly every game he’s appeared in so far, registering a hit, walk, or RBI in all but one game. Selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, Kayfus has had a quick trip to the bigs that he has absolutely deserved. He made an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta last month, and was rewarded with his MLB debut. While there’s lots of factors that have contributed to the Guards’ latest surge, he is most certainly one of them.
Naquin Heating Up… On the Mound??
In one of my previous “Three Positives” stories from this season, I wrote about former outfielder Tyler Naquin’s transition to a pitcher. Many laughed when it was first announced, but Naquin has rather quickly quieted those laughs. Through his first eight outings for Low-A Lake County, he has pitched 10 innings, giving up just four runs and striking out five. His 3.60 ERA is about 10 points lower than many thought it would be. The most interesting part, however, is his “stuff”. Not the Baseball Savant stat, just the way he throws the ball. He’s had some nasty pitches so far, and has gotten some great calls in his favor. This Naq fan is hoping we’ll see him back in Cleveland someday, but I’ll keep those hopes at bay for the moment.
