Steven Kwan

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Steven Robert Kwan (The Chosen Kwan)

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Biographical Information[edit]

Steven Kwan was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th round of the 2018 amateur draft, out of Oregon State University. That came after successive appearances in the College World Series in 2017 and 2018, being part of the title-winning team the second year. He showed prowess as a high-average hitter both in college and in the minors, batting .300 or better as a sophomore and a junior at Oregon State, in the Cape Cod League, in his first pro season in 2018, and again in 2021 after being forced to sit out the previous year by the COVID-19 pandemic. The only exception came in 2019 with the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League, when he batted .280/.353/.382 in 123 games. In 2021, he batted .328 with an OBP of.407 between AA and AAA, and even slugged .527 in 77 games.

The now-renamed Cleveland Guardians added him to their 40-man roster after the 2021 season, and he had an outstanding spring training in 2022, earning not only a spot of the Opening Day roster, but started in right field in the team's first game gainst the Kansas City Royals on April 7th. He went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks that day. He broke out in his third game, getting five hits in a 17-3 demolition of the Royals in what was the first victory of the Guardians era for Cleveland. After his first three games, he had reached base in 12 of 14 plate appearances! he made it 15 times reaching base in four games with another standout performance on April 11th as he drew a pair of walks and hit his first career triple in a 10-7 win over Kansas City; the triple came with the bases loaded in the 8th inning. No player since 1901 had ever matched the 15 times reaching base in his first four career games. He reached base three more times in his fifth game, this one against the Cincinnati Reds on April 12th, and still had not swung and missed even once since the start of the season. Not only had he yet to strike out either, but he hadn't done so in spring training either and one had to go back to a minor league game on September 21st for his last whiff. He had a single and two walks in the game, and one of the plate appearances in which he did not reach base was still a productive one as it resulted in a sacrifice fly. He finally did miss a pitch he swung at in his first at-bat of his next game, but still produced a foul tip that was caught by Tyler Stephenson - 116 pitches into his career; he struck out looking four pitches later, the first K of his career. He cooled down a bit after that, but was still named the American League Rookie of the Month for April, finishing the month at .354 with an OBP of .459. He hit his first major league homer on May 5th, a two-run shot off José Berríos of the Toronto Blue Jays. He closed off the year as he started it, winning the Rookie of the Month Award for the second time in September by batting .325 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs as the Guardians clinched a division title. Overall, he hit .298 in 147 games with89 runs, 6 homers and 52 RBIs, also being successful on 19 of 24 stolen base attempts. He won a Gold Glove in left field, finished third in the voting for the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the final incarnation of the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. He played in 7 postseason games, going 9 for 30 with a double and a homer, with all of his hits coming in the Division Series when the Guardians pushed the New York Yankees to the limit before bowing out.

Stephen had another good season in 2023, even if he did not make the headlines as often as during his rookie year. He played 158 games as the Guardians' regular left fielder and won a second Gold Glove for his defensive play, while hitting .268 with 5 homers and 58 RBIs. H scored more runs (93) and hit more doubles (36 to 25) than in his first season, but his OPS+ went down from 124 to 100 as both his batting average and his OBP went down. In a stat not captured by OPS+, he was even better in the stolen base department, making it safely 21 times in 24 attempts.

He is an avid chess player and in the spring of 2024 won a charity tournament in which he competed against his Guardians teammates. The team's players have partnered with the chess club at John Marshall High School in Cleveland

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Mandy Bell: "Kwan's historic start: 'Afraid I'm going to wake up'", mlb.com, April 10, 2022. [1]
  • Mandy Bell: "Rookie reaches base 15 times in first 4 games", mlb.com, April 11, 2022. [2]
  • Mandy Bell: "Checkmate: Kwan outsmarts chess opponents in charity tournament", mlb.com, February 20, 2024. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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