Cleveland Guardians: Steven Kwan may be more significant than you think

The Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan has become a fan favorite. The rookie, however, broke his streak against Cincinnati Reds rookie pitcher Nick Lodolo.

What streak? Well, for 116 pitches seen this season, Kwan had not swung and missed. The Cleveland Guardians outfielder has swung his bat 40 times. He made contact on 39 attempts. Later in the same game, he struck out (looking) for the first time against a 94 mph cutter from Lodolo.

Kwan is slashing .526/.655/.737 with a 1.392 OPS and a 302 OPS+. He has 10 hits, five RBI, eight walks, seven runs, and only one strikeout in 19 at-bats. Of the 10 hits, Kwan has two doubles and a triple. It is essential to repeat that the rookie has a .655 on-base percentage.

Want to know something? Since he was drafted in 2018, Kwan has had similar numbers in the minors. In 1,449 at-bats over six seasons between college and the minor leagues, Kwan slashed .315/.404/.428 with a .832 OPS. He had 456 hits (66 doubles, 22 triples, and 18 home runs), walked 206 times, and struck out 138 times. With these numbers, his strikeout percentage was 8%. The average strikeout percentage in the majors in 2021 was 24%.

So why did we miss Steven Kwan’s batting greatness before he made all of the headlines with the Cleveland Guardians?

Well, it is simple. He is not a slugger. In 19 at-bats with Cleveland, he has not hit a home run, and before the majors, he had a 1% home run percentage. But, baseball has shifted to home runs as they create more highlights. With more homers, you get more views, and more views mean more fans, which equals more money. So, it makes sense that stat-heavy sports use such stats to their advantage. But home runs don’t create winning teams, especially if you make your team slugger-heavy.

What wins and will continue to win is on-base percentage, a high walk rate, fewer strikeouts, and more extended at-bats. It is no surprise that Cleveland continues to get these kinds of hitters. The Guardian’s strikeout percentage has been 18.2% in the last three years, ranking sixth in the majors. Who is the team with the lowest strikeout rate in the past three years? The Houston Astros. You know, the team that has been in the World Series three times in the past five years.

While we cannot yet calculate Steven Kwan’s WAR with his numbers this season, he is helping his team win. He has scored seven runs in six games. The Guardians have found a relatively unknown player who is a treat in the batter’s box and on the base paths. He is no home run king, but he will get on base by any means necessary. This unselfish player is focused on winning and Steven Kwan is showing that he is a team player.

Home runs are cool, but getting on base is cooler.