Guardians latest lineup changecould be blessing in disguise for Steven Kwan

At the end of May, it looked like the Cleveland Guardians had finally figured out the problems atop their lineup when they moved Travis Bazzana to the leadoff spot. 

While that was asking a lot of Bazzana since he was less than a month into his MLB career, he was largely able to answer the call and was productive at the top of the Guardians’ lineup. 

But that’s changed as of late, as Bazzana entered Saturday’s game with a .203/.297/.418 slashline in 21 games in June. Those struggles seem to have become too much for the Guardians, as they moved Bazzana out of the leadoff spot on Saturday in place of Steven Kwan, who opened the season batting leadoff for Cleveland. 

While the Guardians’ decision to move Bazzana out the leadoff spot may seem disappointing, the flip side of it is that Kwan is getting moved back to the spot in the order where he feels most comfortable. 

Steven Kwan could get back to being a productive hitter at the top of Cleveland’s lineup 

Kwan’s struggles this season have been pretty jarring, as he enters play tonight with a .210/.319/.256 slashline. That .256 slugging percentage is the lowest among qualified hitters, and his wRC+ of 70 is the fourth-lowest mark. 

But the one thing he has been able to do is get on base. Along with having a .316 on-base percentage on the season, he got on base at a .345 clip in the 35 games he played at the bottom of the order. 

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt explained the move by citing Kwan’s ability to get on base and the fact he felt he had been “swinging the bat better” as of late. Kwan went 1-for-8 in the two games he hit at leadoff against Seattle. 

Right now, Kwan’s profile is based around two extremes. 

He’s only whiffed on 8.5% of the pitches he’s seen (the best mark in baseball), but he’s also barreled just one ball this year (tied for the second-lowest mark in baseball). 

When Kwan was at his best, he was able to parlay that incredible eye into a variety of hits all over the diamond. While that eye is still there, the hits haven’t come. 

Still, that eye adds to some of his potential at the top of Cleveland’s lineup, especially since Bazzana hadn’t been providing much in terms of on-base production. He showcased his power nine days ago with his first career multi-homer game in Cleveland’s win over the Astros, but he went 2-for-20 in the five games following that before being moved out of the leadoff spot. 

Kwan’s still been a valuable player for the Guardians this season thanks to his strong defense (5 Outs Above Average), and moving him to leadoff gives him a chance to finally make the most of his offensive profile. 

While the Guardians offense is going to be behind the eight ball for as long as José Ramírez is out, adding Kwan at the leadoff spot could help Cleveland unlock a bit more from its offense in the time being. 

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