First things first, I just want to say that I know he has only played four career games, but that doesn't mean he isn't insane. In 19 plate appearances, Kwan has recorded nine hits, three extra-base hits, and six walks for a triple slash of.692/.790/1.000. The man hasn't hit a home run since he came up to the plate. No matter which way you slice it, it's incredible. To show how special this four-game stretch has been, I need to take you back to 1901. Baseball was alive and well serving as America's pastime back before we thought of a world war. It is the first time in a player's career that they reached base 13 or more times in their first four games. In his first four games in the American League, Nap Lajoie recorded 12 hits and a walk. The American and National Leagues were separate entities until the second National Agreement was signed in 1903. It is a technicality, but I will allow it. Only Jay Bruce and Kazuo Matsui have done it. Matsui was the most impressive of the three. He was the only one to hit a dinger and he drew seven walks. Seven! I'm a sucker for plate discipline so maybe I'm biased, but still...EVEN times! The record was blown past by Kwan. He quit after reaching base for the 14th time. He had to make sure he extended the record with a bases loaded triple to right. His first two runs of the season were those. This isn't just a stretch for rookies. 59 times since 2010 it has happened. Some of the players who have done this include Albert Pujols, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani. It isn't a feat that just anyone can do. You have to be confident at the plate. There are some random players who can do this, like Danny Valencia, Andrew Benintendi, and Rajai Davis, but every other player on that list has at least one All-Star appearance to their name.
This stretch from Kwan is nuttier because he wasn't even considered a top prospect. He was outside of the top-ten for the Guardians. Why? It beats me. At every level of the minor league, he hit.300 or more. After COVID destroyed his chance at playing in 2020, he bounced back in a big way, slashing.337/.411/.539 with Double-A affiliate Akron before being promoted to Triple-A Columbus. It's not too shabby. It seems odd that someone who was able to record those figures would be ranked so low in his farm system.
He doesn't have much power, but he has great speed. He is not a prolific base stealer, but he is very aggressive on the basepaths and can make doubles out of what would normally be singles. He has done that on more than one occasion at the Major League level.
It's rare for Kwan to ever strike out. He hasn't missed a single pitch through four games. In Double and Triple-A, Kwan struck out 31 times in 341 plate appearances. There were only two qualified players in all of MLB to record a strikeout rate under ten percent last season, the Angels and the Pirates. With only a 30.8 percent hard contact rate, and a. ..................... He has great timing as a hitter, as evidenced by his 54.8% hit rate to center field, and although his high ground ball rate may turn people off for fear of hitting into double plays, his speed should be able to mitigate that risk.
The Cleveland Guardians don't have a lot of expectations. People were more concerned about a lawsuit with a local roller derby team than they were about whether or not James Karinchak could bounce back from a shaky second half. That isn't the sign of a team with World Series ambitions.
The base hit machine like Kwan is what the Guardians need to stay competitive in the lacklusterAL Central. Don't get me wrong. Even though this is still Chicago's division to lose, I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland is in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in September. For a team that finished outside the top half of the league in runs last season, it is a welcome surprise that Kwan has been able to keep reaching base.
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