Recent MLB Power Ranking has the Cleveland Guardians back where they belong

There is something to be said about a team that is able to regroup and put a bad week behind them, and that is just what the Cleveland Guardians did this past week. Winning five out of six games at home, including a three-game sweep of the visiting Toronto BlueJays, the Guardians have rebounded and returned to their rightful place among the best teams in baseball in a recently published MLB Power Ranking.

Appearing on Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter has the Guardians back in the Top 5 in his MLB Power Rankings 2024: Phillies Back on Top While Astros, Braves, Red Sox All Climb. Reuter names Josh Naylor as Cleveland's Star of the Week, mentioning his six extra-base hits (three doubles and three home runs) while also taking the time to note the impact of Steven Kwan's performance at the plate.

Not enough is being made about the season Steven Kwan is having for the Guardians. The 26-year-old continues to be one of baseball's best contact hitters, batting .390 with just 16 strikeouts in 222 plate appearances, but he has also raised his slugging percentage from .370 to .575 while already surpassing last year's home run total.

Kwan being able to hit for more power has been a nice development for the third-year outfielder. There was some hope that he would be able to produce more power, considering that adding power to a contact-hitting profile is easier than trying to do the opposite, and it is coming to fruition this season. This added production from Kwan has made the lineup longer and much more difficult to navigate for opposing pitchers. Knowing that Kwan is now capable of going yard rather than being just a singles hitter is going to be something that every opponent will have in the back of their mind and could disrupt their concentration, possibly resulting in a mistake pitch that can be driven for extra-bases.

Last week saw the Cleveland Guardians fall out of the Top 5 and drop to seventh. Seeing them recover and return to where they belong shows the resiliency of this squad and that they are indeed a team that is going to be poised for a deep postseason run. Expect this team to continue to remain among the top-ranked teams in baseball moving forward and for this team to be a genuine contender that will look to add rather than subtract at the upcoming trade deadline.