Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan can’t and won’t be stopped.
Ever since returning from the injured list following a hamstring strain, he has been better than ever before in his short, but productive career.
The Guardians have been enjoying elite production from their leadoff hitter, and the offense has thrived as a result.
Kwan has been so good this year that he is flirting with franchise history.
He is right up there with two of the best pure hitters in the history of the game: “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Tris Speaker.
“Highest AVG by a CLE hitter thru 69 team G (min. 150PA): 1. Shoeless Joe Jackson (.414, 1913), 2. Tris Speaker (.405, 1921), 3. SJJ (.3984, 1912), 4. STEVEN KWAN (.3977, 2024). The last MLB hitter to hit .397+ (min. 150PA) thru 69 team G was Joe Mauer (.421) in 2009,” Luke Potosky, with deep ties to the Guardians organization, tweeted.
Highest AVG by a CLE hitter thru 69 team G (min. 150PA):
1. Shoeless Joe Jackson (.414, 1913)
2. Tris Speaker (.405, 1921)
3. SJJ (.3984, 1912)
4. STEVEN KWAN (.3977, 2024)The last MLB hitter to hit .397+ (min. 150PA) thru 69 team G was Joe Mauer (.421) in 2009.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/Z4G7Ec6ZgC
— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) June 17, 2024
Highest AVG by a CLE hitter thru 69 team G (min. 150PA):
1. Shoeless Joe Jackson (.414, 1913)
2. Tris Speaker (.405, 1921)
3. SJJ (.3984, 1912)
4. STEVEN KWAN (.3977, 2024)The last MLB hitter to hit .397+ (min. 150PA) thru 69 team G was Joe Mauer (.421) in 2009.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/Z4G7Ec6ZgC
— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) June 17, 2024
Far from seeing his batting average drop with each passing game, Kwan is playing better every day.
As a result, he is awfully close to the always venerated .400 batting average mark at the moment, hitting .398.
No, that’s not OBP: that’s batting average right there.
His OBP, in case you are wondering, is an incredible .456, and his OPS stands at 1.002.
Since he missed multiple weeks with the hamstring strain, Kwan doesn’t qualify for the batting title yet.
If he ever accrues enough at-bats, he will probably run away with the batting crown because the leader to this date, Bobby Witt Jr., is hitting .327.
Just being in the same sentence as Jackson and Speaker tells you everything you need to know about the kind of year Kwan is having.
He is a big reason why the Guards have been so good in the first half.
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