Cleveland Guardians leadoff hitter and Gold Glove-caliber left fielder Steven Kwan is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.
He is hitting .327 as of Saturday morning, second in MLB behind Bobby Witt Jr.’s .346.
He has been the catalyst on a solid offense, showing off his wide array of offensive skills.
That’s all true.
It’s also true that he has been ice-cold for several weeks now, and the team has lost his baserunning game because he is just not getting on base these days.
Every major league is prone to slumps, even the best of the best.
Kwan is no exception, of course, but his teammates and manager Stephen Vogt badly need him to get back on track.
“Gotta get this guy going to get the offense on track. Kwan last 23 games including 0-6 today so far….. (19-85), .224 AVG, .290 OBP,” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
Gotta get this guy going to get the offense on track.
Kwan last 23 games including 0-6 today so far…..
(19-85) .224 AVG .290 OBP
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 10, 2024
That tweet was sent in the middle of the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, and he ended up singling once and producing two outs in his remaining three trips to the plate.
The point stands, though: Kwan is not playing like himself out there.
In the second half, he is slashing a disappointing .238/.299/.338 with a .636 OPS in 20 games.
When he was excelling, he was getting on base at a 40 percent clip.
In his last 20, he is not even getting on base 30 percent of the time.
That has a huge impact on offense and run production.
He is talented enough to turn things around in a hurry.
Right now, with Cleveland having lost seven in a row, would be a great time to do that.
NEXT: Guardians Lose Doubleheader As Twins Get Dangerously Close In The Central
