Travis Bazzana belted two home runs, including a grand slam, during the Cleveland Guardians' 10-7 Cactus League loss to the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Jace LaViolette added a solo homer in his third spring at-bat. Both prospects impressed despite limited big-league camp time.
In Saturday's Cactus League matchup at Scottsdale Stadium, the Cleveland Guardians fell 10-7 to the San Francisco Giants. Travis Bazzana, the Guardians' No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 20 overall, started in the lineup and delivered a standout performance. The 23-year-old homered twice: first, a solo shot off left-hander Robbie Ray—a two-time All-Star and 2021 AL Cy Young winner—on a 3-1 sinker projected 372 feet at 112.4 mph exit velocity. His second, a grand slam in the sixth inning off Giants prospect Trevor McDonald on an 0-1 sinker, exited at 102.5 mph. Earlier, Ray had struck out Bazzana in the second inning. Bazzana said, “They're obviously two really successful and quality pitchers. So it's always nice to win some battles against guys that have had really quality careers and are also currently succeeding. Obviously great, and I hope to continue that.” The Guardians reassigned Bazzana to Minor League camp on Thursday after deciding he would not make the Opening Day roster. He will start the season with Triple-A Columbus, following 26 games there in 2025 after promotion from Double-A Akron on Aug. 11. That year, he played 84 games, missing nearly two months due to a right oblique strain. Across eight Cactus League games, Bazzana hit .381 (8-for-21) with three homers, 11 RBIs, two walks, and five strikeouts. He also represented Australia at the World Baseball Classic in Japan. Manager Stephen Vogt noted earlier, “Go play, go stay ready. We know this kid's going to help us a ton and win a lot of games. But again, he needs to go play and get everyday at-bats and continue to develop.” Postgame, Vogt added, “Travis has done well. He had a good camp with us. … We're excited to watch his season progress, and we know he can help us at some point.” Jace LaViolette, the 2025 first-round pick and Guardians' No. 9 prospect, made his mark in limited action. In the ninth, he crushed a 425-foot solo homer off Mitch White's 96.9 mph four-seam fastball at the knees (106.9 mph exit velocity)—his third Cactus League at-bat. LaViolette, mostly in Minor League camp, is slated to begin his pro career at High-A Lake County.
