Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan has been one of the most impressive rookies of the 2022 campaign.
Before Friday’s games, he is hitting .300/.375/.397 with three home runs and 10 stolen bases.
He has scored 55 runs and is extremely tough to strike out.
Due to his hitting prowess, he leads American League rookies in several prominent statistical categories.
“@skwanzaa leads American League rookies in hits, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage,” Bally Sports Cleveland tweeted, with some quotes by pitcher Zach Plesac.
.@skwanzaa leads American League rookies in hits, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage. 📋#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/mXj4esRV2a
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 12, 2022
Plesac says that Kwan is “the Dude” right now, a phrase that means he is performing at an admirable level and has contributed hits and swagger to the young Guardians lineup.
“He is going off. If he is not in the top-three for Rookie of the Year, someone is messing up,” Plesac stated.
In fact, Kwan has been one of the most impressive first-year players in the American League.
Few Rookies Have Been Better Than Kwan In The American League
Because of Julio Rodriguez, Jeremy Pena, Bobby Witt Jr., and Adley Rutschman, Kwan has been closer to top-five than top-three, but his performance has been impressive nonetheless.
With adequate defense, great baserunning, and his aforementioned talent for hitting and getting on base, Kwan ranks third among Guardians position players in Wins Above Replacement, with 2.6.
Only Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez have contributed more to the Guardians’ success than Kwan.
The team is currently leading the AL Central division, with a 59-52 record, and they owe a lot of that success to Kwan.
At 24 years old, he will probably be a fixture in Cleveland’s lineup for years to come, and if his minor league performance is any indication, he has a bit more power potential.
The Guardians have to be really pleased with Kwan.
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