In just 19 games played, rookie outfielder Steven Kwan has already won over the hearts of Guardians fans everywhere. From his historical career start to a walk-off single against the San Diego Padres, watching Kwan play is always an entertaining and exciting experience.
Steven Kwan attended Oregon State for college, where he put on a show. In his final year with the Beavers, Kwan had a .356 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage.
In 2018, the (at the time) Cleveland Indians selected Steven Kwan in the 5th round of the draft. In his lone season with the Akron Rubber Ducks, Kwan batted a .337 batting average with 31 RBIs and seven home runs. After spending three years in the minor leagues, his name was called and he has not disappointed.
In the team’s opening series in Kansas City against the Royals, Kwan became the first player in the live ball era to reach base 15 times in just four games. He finished the series with a fascinating .692 batting average. The record-breaking start doesn’t end there for Kwan, as he became the first player in MLB history to not record a swing and miss on 116 consecutive seen pitches. Following the great start, Kwan won April’s Rookie of the Month award. Now, 25 games into the season, the rookie is still one of the most impactful players on the young Guardians team.
Kwan is a force on the team with a .328 batting average and a .423 on-base percentage. The 24-year-old has 11 RBIs and 14 runs for the Guards. His first career home run came Thursday night against the Blue Jays when he sent a fastball over the right field wall in the team’s 6-5 victory. For the first time in years, it seems that offense is not Cleveland’s biggest issue.
With both Steven Kwan and José Ramirez, the Guardians could have one of the best young duos in all of baseball. Of course, the future of this team is unknown, but the ceiling is limitless. The Dolan brothers better get ready to open their checkbooks, because a player of Kwan’s caliber does not come cheap.
*This article was posted by a student from Solon High School doing his Senior Project with Cleveland Sports Talk*