The Cleveland Guardians are off to a 15-6 start to the season, their best start since 1999 when they won 97 games, and they currently have the best record in the American League and a 2-game lead in the AL Central.
One of the biggest catalysts behind that hot start is Steven Kwan, who has played in 20 of the team’s 21 games so far and put up some of the best numbers in that time frame that anyone has in franchise history.
Luke Potosky posted on X that Kwan is one of three players in franchise history to put up at least 34 hits and score 21 runs in the team’s first 21 games of a season, with the other two being Carlos Baerga in 1995 and Lyn Lary way back in 1937.
CLE hitters with 34+ hits & 21+ runs thru the first 21 team games of a season:
• 2024 STEVEN KWAN
• 1995 Carlos Baerga
• 1937 Lyn LaryKwan is the 12th MLB hitter to do this since 1969, last done by Matt Kemp in 2012 & Alfonso Soriano in 2003.#ForTheLand | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/xRV2oezbjB
— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) April 21, 2024
He is only the 12th player to put up those numbers in all of MLB since 1969, with the most recent ones being Matt Kemp in 2012 and Alfonso Soriano in 2003.
Kwan took a step back last season after a strong rookie season in 2022, but is off to a blistering start so far with a .374 batting average and a pair of home runs.
His career-high for home runs is only six, so he is already a third of the way there.
If Kwan was able to add some legitimate power to his game this offseason and can get up to the 12-15 home run range, that would represent a strong next step in his development at the plate.
Kwan and Josh Naylor are driving the ship offensively, and they’ll need some other teammates to get it going if this hot start is going to continue into the summer.
NEXT: Josh Naylor's Bat Spike Had Fans Talking Saturday
