Steven Kwan may not immediately jump out to fans as a candidate for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, but he’s sure putting up some solid numbers that would at least warrant some consideration.
The Cleveland Guardians outfielder is hitting .298, which is the highest average among Rookie of the Year candidates in the AL.
He’s also leading all AL rookies in on-base percentage (.373) and has the lowest strikeout rate (9.7) between himself, Adley Rutschman, and Julio Rodriguez.
Needless to say, the Guardians believe this man deserves a little more respect, and on Twitter, they did not hesitate to say as much.
He doesn't play the style of baseball that the powers that be want to market, but Steven Kwan deserves some respect, and we're a little tired that he's not getting it.
This doesn't include defensive metrics where he's going to win a Gold Glove either.
#ForTheLand | #KwanROY pic.twitter.com/HI8PrWOjgr
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 25, 2022
Kwan’s ROY Case
Kwan really should be getting more consideration for the Rookie of the Year Award.
While Rutschman and Rodriguez may be putting up good numbers and are the likely favorites, Kwan deserves a little more respect.
He may not have the power numbers that the former two have, but he is proving to be a solid hitter at the top of the Guardians lineup this year.
Here’s a guy that found his way onto the Opening Day roster and burst onto the scene early in the season.
He had an incredible streak going of not striking out, much less swinging and missing at a single pitch.
The 24-year-old is definitely a dark-horse candidate, but there’s no reason that he shouldn’t at least be considered for the award.
Given that he leads all Rookie of the Year candidates in the AL in average and on-base percentage and has the lowest strikeout rate among the three top candidates, he should theoretically be the favorite.
We’ll see if others will ultimately see what the Guardians see in Kwan.
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