It’s time for the Guardians to officially make Steven Kwan a full-time center fielder 

Although the Cleveland Guardians didn’t really do anything to upgrade their outfield picture this offseason, it’s clear the team’s front office knew they needed to upgrade the position. 

They confirmed that fact early in the season by saying that they were eexperimenting with putting Steven Kwan in center field after he spent the  four seasons of his career almost exclusively in left field.  

And even though manager Stephen Vogt and the Guardians have yet to officially declare Kwan as a center fielder, his past eight appearances this spring have come in center field. 

It’s looking more and more like Kwan’s going to be manning center field at T-Mobile Park when the Guardians open their season on March 26 against the Seattle Mariners. And if that does happen, it should become a full-time thing; not just a fun little party trick the Guardians bust out for a platoon advantage. 

Moving Steven Kwan to center field solves a lot of the Guardians’ outfield problems 

While Kwan hasn’t had a signature moment yet this spring, he’s handled center field with aplomb while providing his signature steady hand at the plate (.304 batting average, two home runs). 

“I think it’s been good. I think every time (Kwan’s) gotten a test, the next time he gets it, he’s making the play. Playing the outfield in Arizona is probably the toughest place to play the outfield. But this is one of the best outfielders on the planet and he’s going to make the adjustments every time he gets a ball hit over his head,” Vogt told reporters over the weekend. 

Even though Kwan’s been the American League’s best left fielder over the past four seasons, center field is a different animal since there’s more room to cover and outfielders need to take different routes to get to fly balls. 

But having an adjusting Kwan out there is a better option than using Nolan Jones or Daniel Schneemann in center field. Kwan’s one of the few every day players the Guardians have on their roster and he should have an every day position that matches that. 

Plus putting him in center would allow for the Guardians to play George Valera and Chase DeLauter at the same time in the corner outfield spots. 

So instead of having to shift between their best options at left field and use an uninspiring option in center, Kwan’s position change would give them outfield freedom they haven’t had in years. 

Vogt has also described the team’s outfield situation as one with “a lot of moving parts,” which is true given the number of options Vogt has to juggle. But one way to eliminate one of those moving parts is by keeping Kwan in center field full time.