The Kwan File
Team: Cleveland guardians
Height: 5-9
Weight: 170
Birthday: 9/5/1997
Average Exit Velo: 85.1 mph
College: Oregon State
Draft: 163rd overall, 2018
Contract: Pre-Arbitration
WAG: N/A
Children: N/A
Betting Odds: +3300 to lead the league in hits, +25000 to win the AL MVP
Record/Accomplishments
- Won a Gold Glove Award, 2022
- Finalist for AL Rookie of the Year award, 2022
Steven Kwan's Elite Trait
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan burst onto the scene last year with what felt like an innate ability to make contact every single time. He didn’t strike out until his sixth game, and went 10-for-19 in that span.
It turns out, that wasn’t just a flash in the pan. Kwan’s contact is here to stay. He ranked 12th in batting average (.298), 13th in on-base percentage (.373), and only struck out 60 times all season.
His strikeout rate, swinging strike rate, contact rate, Z-Contact% (contact on pitches inside the zone), and O-Contact% (contact on pitches outside the zone) ALL ranked amongst the top two in baseball. He is, undeniably, an 80-grade contact hitter, and it has cemented his role atop the Cleveland lineup.
Just in case his pure statistical ranking didn’t wow you enough…he made contact on 91.9% of his swings in 2022. That number would rank top 10 all time for a career.
The 170-pound, slap-hitting outfielder goes to show that you don’t need to be a five-tool player or a power threat (at all, he hit six home runs in 2022) to be a star in today’s game.
Stay unique, Mr. Kwan. Skinny kids across the country are rooting for you.