CLEVELAND, Ohio — With his first All-Star Game appearance in the rearview mirror, and already looking ahead to a 67-game sprint that could end in a potential playoff run, Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan is having the kind of season most players could only dare to dream of.
Kwan, who batted leadoff for the American League in Tuesday’s 5-3 win against the National League, is well aware of what it took for him to get where he is, but says his goals and motivations extend far beyond the midsummer classic.
The northern California native said last week that he tries to avoid focusing on in-season accolades because he says they can only lead to an inflated ego, but at some point he will look back on his experiences this week and let everything settle in.
“I’ve gotten to this point so far by staying neutral, staying even-keel,” Kwan said. “You can’t escape the fact that, yeah, it’s an All-Star (selection), but I think right now there’s going to be more success in just taking things day by day.”
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Kwan’s path to All-Star status has been well documented. He was overlooked coming up through the ranks in high school. Never noticed by scouting services such as Perfect Game or named to an Under Armour All-America team. Never a top recruit, though he did land at one of college baseball’s blue-blood schools in Oregon State.
Even at OSU, however, he had to fight through struggles as a freshman to earn his spot on a national championship team that featured the likes of future big leaguers Adley Rutschman, Trevor Larnach and Nick Madrigal.
“It sounds like a broken record, but I feel like I was passed up in a lot of different areas,” Kwan said. “I was fortunate enough to go to Oregon State, but even there I was doubted. Was doubted in my hometown, all those kinds of things.”
A new goal
But after being drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round in 2018, Kwan said a new goal emerged. One that shed light on his upbringing and uncertain journey to the majors.
“Being an Asian American baseball player, I think, was super important to paving my path,” Kwan said. “Going back to the minor leagues, a big (motivation) was always ‘I want to be the best Asian American baseball player to ever play this game.’ That was a big thing.”
Asian Americans have made up only a small portion of MLB players in the past, but recently more have found success and moved into prominent roles.
Last season, Connor Joe, Mark Mathias and Robert Stephenson played important innings for the Pirates. Kim Ng served as Marlins general manager from 2021-23. When the Dodgers and Giants met in September of 2023, Kai Correa and Dave Roberts became the first Asian American managers on opposing teams. Correa is now the major league field coordinator for the Guardians.
Active players such as Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich, St. Louis’ Lars Nootbaar, the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe and Atlanta’s Travis d’Arnaud are among Kwan’s peers fighting for the title of best Asian American baseball player.
Kwan takes his Japanese and Chinese heritage seriously and told reporters in Arlington that he would welcome the opportunity to play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic if that ever became an option.
“It was my intention to play the last time, and logistically it didn’t work out, but if anything could change, I would love to play for Team Japan,” Kwan said.
Kwan made a trip to Japan and stayed with family there in 2019, recalling that when he landed, all he wanted to do was try the local food.
“They had this little ramen joint right next to them and I got to eat there,” Kwan said. “I was starving right when I came into town and they took me there. It was an amazing experience. The best ramen I’ve ever had in my life.”
Steven Kwan at Guardians Photo Day in March 2022.MLB Photos via Getty Images
Started from the bottom
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was on the other side of the field when Kwan came to Oakland as a rookie in 2022 in just his second series in the major leagues.
“I remember watching him, like ‘This guy can hit,’” Vogt said. “You could just see it was a good approach. He wasn’t swinging and missing. And then game-planning for him last year, it was kind of like throw it down the middle, see if he can either get a hit or gets out, get him out of there. Don’t let him waste a bunch of pitches.”
A standout rookie season saw him hit .298 and cement himself as Cleveland’s leadoff hitter. He reaped rewards including being named a Rookie of the Year finalist and earning the first of two Gold Glove Awards. Kwan’s early success was sustained by a simple approach: just be consistent.
“Just be the same person every day,” Kwan said. “Being a teammate is more important than people expect, whether I have a good or bad day, be there for all the young guys coming up, be a resource for the guys older than me, just do everything I can to just be the same person every day. If we can have that kind of cohesiveness and chemistry day by day, the baseball will take care of itself and once that’s taken care of, I think the future’s bright.”
The next level
Kwan opened the 2024 season hitting .350 with an .879 OPS in March and April and was leading the majors in batting when he injured his left hamstring on May 4. After four weeks on the injured list, the 26-year-old was uncertain how he would perform when he returned to the lineup on May 31.
But Kwan picked up right where he left off, collecting three hits in his first game back against Washington and going on a career-high 14-game hitting streak that was snapped, ironically, in a game where he lined a ball to center field against Toronto, but was not credited with a hit when Austin Hedges was forced out at second base on the play.
Kwan went on to hit in seven of his next nine games after the streak was snapped.
“To have that kind of success again was super affirming,” Kwan said. “But the offseason work was big. Working with Val and all of them was paying off. That was super exciting.”
Guardians hitting coach Chris Valiaka said the month off helped Kwan refine some of the processes that he uses to stay sharp on a daily basis, and that consistency has shown since his return.
“We continued his drill sets through the time off,” Valaika said. “Then he was able to just keeping the tracking and the timing there, so when he stepped back up to the plate, he was ready to go.”
When Steven Kwan was injured this season, he worked with Guardians hitting coach Chris Valiaka to refine some of the processes that Kwan uses to stay sharp on a daily basis, and that consistency has shown since his return.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
An ‘uncomfortable’ at-bat
In the midst of that 14-game hitting streak, Vogt frequently referred to Kwan as a “pure hitter.”
“He takes what the pitcher gives him, and if you make a mistake, he can hit you out of the yard and doesn’t chase, doesn’t swing a miss,” Vogt said. “He struck out in a game and all of us looked at each other like ‘what just happened?’ But that’s what he’s created for himself. It’s a shock factor if he does miss. He has just been really impressive and fun to watch.”
But opposing managers say Kwan has already reached the point where game planning for him has become next to impossible. Toronto manager John Schneider described managing when Kwan is at the plate as “uncomfortable.”
“Just because you know he’s going to put it in play,” Schneider said. “When you’re hitting .400 you’re doing something right. Now he’s showing that he’s got power, covers a lot of the strike zone. You’re trying to pitch to weak contact, and when you have that skill set of bat-to-ball, and you’re going good, that weak contact seems to be hits too. He’s a pain in the (rear end).”
Seattle manager Scott Servais said it is unfathomable in today’s game to expect a hitter to keep his numbers where Kwan has been all season, but it speaks to Kwan’s skill set that he has been able to make adjustments along the way.
“He just doesn’t swing and miss,” Servais said. “It’s a 1% rate on fastballs, it’s 5% percent on breaking balls. It’s just really unbelievable eye-hand coordination.”
The only comparison Servais could make was San Diego’s Luis Arraez, who will be in town with the Padres when the Guardians open the second half of the season on Friday.
“He’s very gifted that way,” Servais said. “We need him to hit the ball at us, and we need to the best we can to make that happen. Guys like that, who have that kind of contact skill are the only ones you’d even think would have a chance to (hit .400). I’m glad we only see him for three days and we’ll move down the road.”
Kwan says it is gratifying to hear what his opponents think.
“That’s definitely the goal,” Kwan said. “Just be a pain in their rear ends. Just disrupt anything you can. I mean, if they’re thinking about me, that means they’re not thinking about José (Ramírez) and Josh (Naylor) behind me, so that’s the big goal.”
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