Cleveland Guardians: The legend of rookie Steven Kwan continues

Guardians rookie Steven Kwan is quickly becoming a legend, setting a number of major-league records just four games into his career.

Four games into the 2022 season and we’re already running out of superlatives for rookie outfielder Steven Kwan.

Kwan, 24, appears content to break every major-league record known to man, as he continued the torrid start to his career in Monday’s 10-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals. With two more walks and a three-run triple that effectively put the game away, Kwan became the first player in major-league history to begin his career by reaching base 3+ times in each of his first four games.

Oh, and Kwan has yet to swing and miss at a pitch.

It’s an electric start for a player who worked his way onto the 28-man roster by having a great spring training, and got himself firmly planted into the second spot in the lineup by just the second game of the season. There is so much to like and appreciate about Kwan’s approach at the plate, and having him hit in front of José Ramírez could make for some very exciting baseball moving forward.

Though Kwan will most certainly come back down to earth at some point, his history suggests he could be an incredibly valuable hitter for the Guardians. We’ve talked before about his microscopic strikeout rate in the minors, and he led the minors in swing-and-miss rate in 2021 at just 2.6%.

The sample size is small, but it sure seems like those skills are translating to the majors. Kwan will eventually have to make adjustments as pitchers learn more about him, but it would appear he’s up to the task.

And right now, he’s helping the young Guardians win games, which is all that really matters.