The Cleveland Guardians have shown signs of significant improvement on offense compared to last year, thanks to the emergence of some of the young guys like Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez, and Brayan Rocchio. The disappointing part is that the pillars of last year’s lineup are all underperforming.
No one has been more disappointing than Steven Kwan, who has a paltry .576 OPS and has now gone through a full year of underperformance at the dish. He hasn’t posted an OPS over .700 in any month for a full year, and people are starting to get concerned if he will ever turn it around at all.
Even though Kwan has been a shell of himself, manager Stephen Vogt isn’t worried, and neither is former center fielder Austin Jackson. During a recent appearance on The Daily Guards, Jackson defended Kwan and compared his struggles to some of his own when he went through slumps at the plate.
“The thing is, he is a good hitter. Teams know that he ignites this offense. That’s almost a respect thing, too. For [Steven Kwan], I think there’s a little bit of pressing going on. Me, being a leadoff hitter, my job was to get on base for the guys behind. I felt like there was times where when I wasn’t getting that done, I made it worse sometimes by expanding the zone, by going up there not looking for a pitch to hit. I ended up putting myself in a hole,” Jackson said.
As a leadoff hitter, it is TOUGH to not press when things aren't bouncing your way. #GuardsBall
Austin Jackson speaks to the pressures of hitting leadoff and how he expects Steven Kwan to bounce back shortly.
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/zX3esDM8c2 pic.twitter.com/Q4Fr6kl5sn
— The Daily Guards (@DailyGuards) May 14, 2026
With how badly Kwan is struggling, it’s fair to wonder if Vogt will knock him down in the order until he gets his bat going. Rocchio, Daniel Schneemann, and Bazzana are all getting on base at a significantly higher clip than Kwan, and Bazzana in particular is on the road to forcing Vogt’s hand the most considering how well has he adapted to the big leagues in just a couple of weeks.
It’s tough to pinpoint a reason why Kwan is having such an uncharacteristically poor season, and perhaps Jackson is right and he is just pressing. The hope is that this is all that’s happening, because a full year of these struggles is now a legitimate concern.
Maybe his move to center field threw him off his rhythm. Who knows, but he absolutely has to get going soon if this team is going to reach the expectations it set for itself in 2026.
NEXT: Guardians Are Being Led By 3 Surprising Players On Offense
