The Cleveland Guardians have one of the best records in MLB, so you can firmly say there have been multiple players behind that first-half success.
One of them, perhaps the most important factor behind the much-improved offense, is left fielder and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan.
Kwan is close to accumulating enough plate appearances to become a qualified hitter, after missing 23 games with a hamstring injury in May.
Once he does, he will become MLB’s batting average leader.
As of Tuesday afternoon, he is slashing an incredible .368/.426/.535 with a .961 OPS.
In a chat with analyst Chris Rose, he talked about what a huge honor it would be for him to be recognized as an All-Star player (he is currently in Phase 2 of the voting process).
He says it would be “validation” to all the hard work he has put in this season, both in spring training and in May, to get healthy.
However, his main objective is proving to himself every day that he is good enough to be a major leaguer.
“Steven Kwan (.368 AVG, .961 OPS) says he’s still trying to prove that he’s talented enough to be an MLB player,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted, with a video of the chat.
Steven Kwan (.368 AVG, .961 OPS) says he’s still trying to prove that he’s talented enough to be an MLB player pic.twitter.com/N9WpVo835e
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 2, 2024
That’s how he finds motivation: he discussed 2022’s poor year (the Guards missed the playoffs and he had a career-low .710 OPS) and implied it was a learning, humbling experience.
He now focuses and works on becoming the best player he can be, and making sure that he is MLB-worthy.
We would say he is much, much better than that, though.
In fact, he is a star, and there is a stat that proves it: despite missing 23 games, he is ninth in MLB in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 3.6.
NEXT: Guardians Slugger Enjoys Legendary First Week In MLB
