Remember when Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Steven Kwan took the league by storm in April and couldn’t have a game with fewer than two hits?
Those were the days.
After several dominating weeks at the plate, he cooled off for some time.
It was logical: he is a 24-year-old rookie hitter facing the best pitchers in the league.
Pitchers can adjust and exploit hitters’ weaknesses.
The true worth of a batter, however, resides in his ability to adjust back.
Kwan, for the most part, has been able to do that and return to being a dangerous hitter.
He is performing like a top-five batter for the last month.
“Top AL batting averages since 7/14: 1. Aaron Judge .400; 2. Vlad Guerrero Jr .368; 3. Steven Kwan .354; 4. Andres Gimenez .346. See 3 out of 4 of them tonight on @BallySportsCLE when the @CleGuardians take on the Blue Jays. Coverage begins at 6:30p!,” sports anchor Al Pawlowski tweeted.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is playing on a different league and seems destined to win his first MVP award.
The Young Guardians Remain Productive
After him, and Toronto Blue Jays’slugger (and former MVP candidate) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., two Guardians young hitters appear in the batting average leaderboard since July 14: Kwan and fellow breakout star Andres Gimenez.
Since mid-July, Kwan’s average is .354, much closer to his true talent level.
For the season, the young Kwan is slashing a strong .300/.375/.397 with three homers and 10 stolen bases.
Power is not really his game, but when it comes to putting the ball in play and hitting for average, Kwan has very few rivals in the American League.
It’s also nice to see Gimenez on the list.
Gimenez has avoided any long slumps, and has been productive all year, cementing his place in the Guardians lineup for years to come and earning his first All-Star berth in the process.
With so many productive players, the Guardians’ future is in good hands.
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