Steven Kwan’s position change becoming biggest story of Guardians’ spring training

Steven Kwan is a staple on the Guardians’ roster. From the time that Kwan made his debut in 2022, he’s been a mainstay at the top of the Guardians’ lineup and in left field. 

And while Kwan was once again at the top of the Guardians’ lineup in their spring training game against the Rangers on Wednesday, it came in a different position. 

That outing marked Kwan’s first appearance at center field this spring, which is an option the Guardians are considering doing during the regular season so they can get more offensive production from their outfield. 

Even though Kwan didn’t have a ball hit to him on Wednesday, manager Stephen Vogt told reporters that Kwan will play in center field a lot over the next couple days.

Steven Kwan’s tenure in center field started yesterday in Guardians’ spring training game 

Kwan played five innings in the Guardians’ loss to the Rangers on Wednesday, and didn’t have a ball hit his way. While he's not in center field today for the Guardians, he should be back in there on Friday.

He did have a Mark Canha single hit his way in the fourth inning, and he unleashed a 84 mile per hour throw that temporarily kept the Rangers off the scoreboard. Even if it wasn’t the most exciting defensive play in the world, it’s the kind of play that helped Kwan win four straight Gold Gloves. 

The good news for the Guardians is that Kwan played plenty of center field in the minors, so it’s not a matter of him learning a new position — it’s just going to be a matter of him adjusting his play style for center. 

Part of the reason that Kwan has become such an elite left fielder is because of his top-tier reaction time and range, and both of those things should help him carry that success over to center field. 

There’s also a serious latent benefit that comes with moving Kwan to center since it would allow for the Guardians to play both Chase DeLauter, George Valera and CJ Kayfus in the outfield at the same time. 

All three of those players are bat-first outfielders and would be miscast as center fielders. But putting Kwan in center would provide them with some Gold Glove insurance next to them in the field. 

Kwan’s position change is a bit frustrating given that it’s coming on the back of an offseason where the Guardians’ made marginal additions to their outfield, but it’s still the kind of team-first move that shows why Kwan is the kind of player the Guardians should ink to a long-term extension.