Steven Kwan Is In The Midst Of His Hottest Stretch This Season

It took a lot longer than the Cleveland Guardians would have liked, but Steven Kwan eventually started hitting, and, somewhat surprisingly, it looked like he wasn’t about to stop. Unfortunately, after crashing into the wall trying to make a catch against the New York Mets on Wednesday, the outfielder sat out that series finale on Thursday.

Now, with Cleveland about to open a crucial three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday, the Guardians have their fingers crossed that Kwan will be available. They likely can’t afford to be without him for long.

That’s because Kwan is in the midst of his hottest stretch of this season, an extended streak that has him leading the majors in batting average since July 1.

“The day off comes in the middle of Kwan’s hottest stretch of the season. Since July 1, he’s led the majors with a .398 batting average and .486 on-base percentage while raising his season average from .212 to .260,” Joe Noga wrote.

It is very difficult for a player to raise his batting average as much as Kwan has as it gets later into the season. He had an incredible 31 hits in July, posting a .403 batting average and .484 on-base percentage for the month, and he has continued that production into August with six hits in 16 at-bats.

It is a notable turnaround, as the two-time All-Star was batting around .200 in the middle of May. He was dealing with a position switch from left field to center field, and a personal matter that took him away from the team for a few days, which could have contributed to his extended slump.

Now, after turning his season around, Kwan has returned to the leadoff spot he had held for almost all of his first four seasons. It has strangely corresponded to the Guardians’ worst stretch as a team, as a post-All-Star break slump has knocked them out of a playoff position that they held for the entire season.

Now, with a seven-game road trip against the White Sox and Detroit Tigers, the Guardians are facing their most crucial stretch of the season to date, and they definitely need to have Kwan in their lineup, especially with the way he’s been hitting.