Steven Kwan Is Part Of Elite Active Streak In MLB

The Cleveland Guardians have one of the best contact hitters in the game in Steven Kwan.

That in itself doesn’t mean much if it’s not accompanied by other skills, but in the specific case of Kwan, the complete package is very enticing.

For what it’s worth, Kwan is currently among the leaders in a contact-oriented stat: avoiding strikeouts.

He currently has the third-longest active strike of plate appearances without a strikeout.

“Longest active streaks of consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout: Corbin Carroll: 30, Marcus Semien: 25, Steven Kwan: 21, Anthony Rizzo: 20, Ezequiel Tovar: 20,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.

longest active streaks of consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout:

Corbin Carroll: 30
Marcus Semien: 25
Steven Kwan: 21
Anthony Rizzo: 20
Ezequiel Tovar: 20

h/t @MLBNetwork research squad

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 13, 2024

Carroll and Rizzo are the living proof that just avoiding strikeouts matters little when the quality of contact isn’t there.

The former has a .608 OPS and the latter a .611 mark.

Kwan, however, has been excellent for the Guardians; a big reason behind their hot start and consistently excellent play.

He is slashing an incredible .380/.445/.534 with a .979 OPS, and actually has more walks (17) than strikeouts (14).

Getting Kwan to strike out is one of the hardest things in baseball, as the guy is prepared with incredible bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline to inflict damage.

This season, he is even showcasing sneaky power, too, with nine doubles, two triples, and four home runs in 40 games.

The Guardians are an excellent 25-15 in those 40 games, which shows how much influence he has in the success of his team.

This is a special player, one that deserves similar recognition than some of the game’s best sluggers.

Kwan is the catalyst of the Guardians offense.