Cleveland Guardians: A look at the insane strikeout rates for Steven Kwan and José Ramírez

You’ve heard the stats before, but sometimes you still have to shake your head at just how little the Cleveland Guardians strike out.

The exceptional strikeout rate of the Cleveland Guardians has been talked about at length this season, as they have the lowest strikeout percentage in the majors at just 18.5%.

That means, of course, the Guardians will surely have individual players atop the K% leaderboard, but right now they’re just dominating it. Going into this week’s action, rookie Steven Kwan (9.6%) and José Ramírez (10.2%) sit at second and third respectively on the K% leaderboard. In fact, the top three hitters are all within the AL Central, as Minnesota’s Luis Arráez tops the list with a paltry 7.3% strikeout rate.

And among qualified hitters, Myles Straw, despite the rest of his offensive struggles this season, is tied for 22nd on the list among players with at least 400 plate appearances.

Shortstop Amed Rosario also cracks the top 50, sitting at number 40 with a 16.3% strikeout rate.

With Kwan, Rosario, and Ramírez atop the Guardians lineup, all striking out at elite rates, it’s no wonder Cleveland’s against-the-grain offense is holding up against the other more power-heavy lineups in baseball. You don’t have to always hit home runs if you’re just stuffing the base paths nearly every inning.