April performance has Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan landing on impressive list

In case it has somehow gone unnoticed, Cleveland Guardians left fielder is off to an incredibly hot start in 2025. Kwan has been one of, if not the most productive member in Cleveland's lineup this season, clearly establishing himself as the team's most valuable player through April.

It is this performance that has resulted in Kwan being named to an impressive list, appearing as part of a list of players making up the April All-Star team appearing on The Athletic (subscription required). The Athletic's Jim Bowden has Kwan as the American League April All-Star Left Fielder, the only Guardians player to make the list.

"The three-time Gold Glove winner looks like a shoo-in for a fourth consecutive AL defensive award in left field and he’s equally impressive at the plate, batting .322/.370/.466 with five doubles and four homers along with four steals in as many attempts. His high energy and enthusiasm are contagious" writes Bowden regarding Kwan's play. It is pretty much impossible to argue against his appearance on this list when taking the type of praise Kwan is receiving here into consideration.

The most important aspect of Kwan's early season performance has been the increased power production. Kwan's .466 slugging percentage is just over 40 points higher than 2024's and 66 points higher than his career average. This shows that Kwan's development is continuing and that he is becoming more than just a singles hitter.

Last season saw Kwan begin this transformation, exceeding his career home run total of 11 by hitting 14 in 122 games played in an injury-shortened campaign. If Kwan were to have played a full season's worth of games, Kwan could have easily surpassed his career total instead of barely eclipsing it. This current version of Kwan looks to be a more fully realized who he is as a hitter, with the increased extra-base hit frequency making the top of Cleveland's lineup even more difficult to navigate.