.6 years back, during an Eco-friendly Shield cricket match in Sydney's interior west, a thin adolescent from the northern coastlines was bombing 6s onto capital at Drummoyne Oval.Representing Northern District in the state's premier under-16 competitors, the left-hander smashed 34 (31) during the course of the qualifying last against Sydney Cricket Club to help chase the 208-run aim at with a handful of rounds to spare.That budding cricketer was actually Travis Bazzana, that this week ended up being the initial Australian to be decided on in the position sphere of the Major League Baseball Draft.On Monday morning, the Oregon Condition 2nd baseman was snapped up by the Cleveland Guardians as the No. 1 overall selection with a possible signing bonus offer of as much as AU$ 15.5 million, although the particular body is actually as yet to be confirmed.But before plunging into a beneficial baseball profession, Bazzana was actually a skilled cricket prodigy assembling hundreds at university, nightclub and also representative level.Cricket train Josh Miller, who has mentored the Northern Area Eco-friendly Shield edge for virtually a years, still remembers Bazzana's Drummoyne strike." It was an astounding innings," Miller said to Fox Cricket recently." You do not actually view things like that in Environment-friendly Defense cricket." Enjoy every ball of the England v West Indies Test series LIVE & exclusive to Fox Cricket, on call on Kayo. New to Kayo? Begin your cost-free trial today > Aussie makes MLB record, general no. 1!|00:26 Miller, the Supervisor of Cricket at Barker College and the Junior Pathway Manager at Northern District, coached Bazzana for two periods between 2016 and also 2018 before the sporting professional dedicated to baseball." He was an incredibly, good batter and an incredibly accomplished ball-striker," Miller continued." Surely certainly not a slogger whatsoever, yet he took the activity on. He could rack up around the ground." Things that stuck out with him was actually most likely his athleticism. He certainly possessed a cannon throw, as fellas that participate in baseball do, but only the way he transferred the area, you knew he was an exclusive professional athlete." Bazzana, who likewise played basketball, rugby as well as volleyball during the course of his youth, led Turramurra High School towards its initial Alan Davidson Guard title just before playing third-grade cricket amongst grownups at Roseville Area CC, coming to be the club's youngest centurion.He was actually selected for the Veggie Cover side in 2016, participating in together with potential Sydney Rumbling player Toby Gray as well as Australian under-19 rep Corey Miller.But his real calling was actually baseball-- before cricket suits, Bazzana would warm up by practising his baseball swings." He was a helpful cricketer, it's usually reviewed whether he can have been a cricketer or otherwise," Bazzana's father Gary told CODE Athletics." But he was always even more enthusiastic regarding baseball." Oregon Condition's Travis Bazzana. Photograph by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire using Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesApart coming from his uncooked skill-set and also abnormal athleticism, Bazzana's competition and also professionalism and reliability were instantly obvious to Miller. He might certainly not have been one of the most proficient cricketer in the Northern Area squad, but he worked more difficult than any of his colleagues." Travis' devotion was actually incomparable. I've not seen a youthful athlete as steered," Miller pointed out." The effort, the drive, that was actually all really evident to see." He excelled when the activity was tough as well as when he had a really very clear goal to be pursuing. That consistently carries you in respectable standing as a professional athlete, if you possess that affordable touch when you are actually struggling." Although handling both summer months sporting activities was actually taxing for the college trainee, with cricket and also baseball consuming his whole entire weekend, Bazzana profited from the skill-sets he accomplished in both sports. In 2015, he told MLB Pipe that cricket's emphasis on constant get in touch with helped develop his bat-to-ball skills.Since transferring to the United States in 2021, Bazzana has actually gotten approval for his layer field, understanding which tosses to swing at or resist. His hand-eye coordination and also decision-making at home plate can, at least mostly, be attributed to his time as a cricketer." The means he struck the sphere as well as the swing of the bat was best," Miller described." It was actually fairly obvious just how effectively his baseball side transmitted around." Oregon Condition's Travis Bazzana.Source: Updates Corp AustraliaIn a moving doors minute, Bazzana opted for to prioritise baseball in 2018, making his debut for the Sydney Blue Sox later that year and also embodying Australia at the 2019 Under-18 World Cup.Needless to point out, it turned out to be the right call, however baseball's increase was cricket's loss." His functionality coming into Veggie Shield howled that he was actually visiting be actually a superior cricketer," Miller proceeded." Just because of his commitment and also how much time and effort as well as willpower he needed to what he was doing, I presume he can have found a way to be a respectable cricketer." He didn't have the most ideal year in Veggie Shield ... my hunch is baseball was actually the right option." Those individuals, they often tend to discover a method to do well in whatever they carry out, simply with that determination and self-control." Nonetheless, speaking with The Book of Joe podcast earlier this year, Bazzana admitted he sometimes overlooks the feeling of leather-made on willow." A ton of my buddies were actually participating in cricket and I was having fun with all of them as well as appreciating it completely, but I was regularly placing in the added work with baseball," Bazzana mentioned." I 'd be actually reaching baseballs prior to I mosted likely to go play my cricket video game." I had a fun time participating in cricket and also performed overlook the sport after I totally devoted to baseball at sixteen.".