One Guardians Player Earns Nod Among Postseason’s Best Hitters

Power rankings are always a fun way to compare not just talent level among players or teams, but also current run of form. After all, postseason baseball is often about who’s hot and who’s not.

Theo DeRosa made a fun exercise this weekend: putting together the hitter power rankings ahead of the Division Series. He ranked the top 10, and also named some honorable mentions.

Just one member of the Cleveland Guardians snuck in the rankings at No. 10: it’s none other than Steven Kwan, who was virtually unplayable in the first half but bounced back to carry the offense after the break.

“Kwan certainly wouldn’t have cracked this list three months ago — his OPS was below .600 as late as July 3 — but a scorching second half changed the narrative of his fifth Major League season. With four Gold Glove Awards in his first four seasons, Kwan is a known defensive wizard, but he can make a major impact out of the leadoff spot in the ALDS,” DeRosa wrote.

Kwan, as we all know, is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. However, we forgot in the first few months how good he is at leading off the Guardians’ offense. He was so productive after the break that he finished the regular season with a comfortably above-average 114 wRC+. That number was unthinkable after he wrapped up his first half with a wRC+ of 81.

As it turns out, Kwan hit a fantastic .353/.443/.432 with a 155 wRC+ once the Guardians returned from the All-Star Game. He had lost his leadoff role in May due to his awful start, but Stephen Vogt, his manager, stuck with him and didn’t bench him. The demotion helped him see the game from a different angle, adjust, and bounce back in due time. He ended up regaining the top slot in the lineup a few weeks later.

Kwan’s confidence is currently through the roof. He is the leadoff hitter in a surging offense supported by a phenomenal pitching staff and one of the best managers in the game. The Guardians have everything to challenge for the title this year, but first, they have to defeat a very solid White Sox squad to reach the League Championship Series.