Steven Kwan is the Guardians’ biggest success story of the past decade

On April 7, 2022, Steven Kwan made his MLB debut for the Cleveland Guardians with little fanfare. 

While it came in the Guardians' Opening Day matchup against the Royals, he was sandwiched between Yu Chang and Austin Hedges in the No. 7 spot in the lineup. He walked twice against Zack Greinke and recorded his first MLB hit with a ninth inning single off Scott Barlow. Carlos Santana was there to greet him at first base as a member of the Royals. 

A lot has happened since then. 

Greinke retired. Scott Barlow was teammates with Kwan last season and is now in Cincinnati with former Guardians manager Terry Francona. Santana is now Kwan’s teammate. And, perhaps most surprisingly, Kwan has turned into one of the best outfielders in baseball.

Steven Kwan is the Guardians’ biggest success story of the past decade

While Kwan’s MLB debut didn’t feature much fanfare, he quickly captured the attention of the baseball world when he went 116 pitches without swinging and missing, which set a new MLB record. 

He finished that rookie year with a .298 batting average to go along with six home runs, 59 RBI, 19 steals, a Gold Glove win and a postseason home run off Gerrit Cole.

While his production tailed off a bit in 2023, Kwan responded with a masterful 2024 season where he posted a .292/.368/.425 slashline with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as he was flirting with a .400 batting average before he was hampered by a hamstring injury. 

That still didn’t stop him from walking more than he struck out (53 walks compared to 51 strikeouts), however. He also recorded his third Gold Glove win and his first career All-Star appearance, where he started in left field for the American League. 

Which brings us to this year. While the Guardians offense hasn’t been able to get much going this year, Kwan has still been a staple at the top of Cleveland’s lineup, which helped him earn his second straight All-Star nod. 

After being voted in by the fan vote last year, this year’s nod came from the player’s vote, which meant a little more to Kwan. 

“It’s a huge accomplishment, especially getting voted in by the peers,” Kwan told reporters, per MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. “It’s probably one of the greater accomplishments of my career. I’m really honored. It’s a cool feeling.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Kwan’s peers hold him in high regard. Not only is he a pesky at-bat at the top of the lineup thanks to his strong eye and his ability to see a lot of pitches, but he’s also a sublime fielder who turns left field into a no-fly zone. 

While his range is down a bit this year (he’s been worth -2 Outs Above Average), he’s in the 100th percentile in arm strength and continues to do the little plays needed to succeed in the outfield like when he held Spencer Torkelson to a single over the weekend thanks to a well-timed fake out.

While the Guardians have had plenty of top prospects flame out over the past couple years, Kwan’s been the exact opposite. He entered 2022 as Cleveland’s No. 15 prospect per MLB Pipeline, but he’s already flown past pretty much every player listed ahead of him. 

This is the first year he’s been able to make a salary close to his worth (he and the Guardians agreed on a one-year, $4.175 million contract to avoid arbitration), and he seems set for a big payday once he reaches free agency in 2028. 

The Guardians have no excuse for not signing Kwan to an extension yet, and his price tag ticks up with every day that goes by. 

But regardless of how Kwan’s time with Cleveland ends, there’s no denying he’s turned into a developmental win.