When the Cleveland Guardians drafted Steven Kwan, they envisioned a player who could consistently put the ball in play while working counts to his advantage. Known for a disciplined approach and a knack for finding gaps, Kwan quickly became a model of contact hitting, boasting the highest strike‑zone contact rate in the Statcast era.
This season, however, the numbers tell a different story. Kwan’s bat speed has slipped to the second‑lowest ever recorded, and his hard‑hit rate sits below even Billy Hamilton’s 2018 benchmark. The result is a 67 wRC+, one of the worst marks among qualified batters, and an expected batting average and wOBA that are the worst of his career.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
Statcast data reveals that Kwan’s contact rate on pitches inside the zone remains the highest in the league, a testament to his ability to make contact. At the same time, his squared‑up rate ranks fourth since Statcast began tracking it in 2023, yet his chase rate is the fifth lowest, indicating a disciplined but overly cautious approach.
Only 19% of his balls in play have turned into singles, the lowest mark of his career, and his expected batting average and wOBA have slid to the bottom of his personal history. Pitchers are targeting the strike zone against him just 49.4% of the time, the lowest figure of his career, which suggests they are daring him to swing at pitches outside the zone.
A Different Approach
Historically, Kwan built his reputation on making contact rather than generating power. This season, however, he has explicitly said he wants to rely less on weak liners falling in for singles. Instead, he is attempting to increase bat speed and drive the ball harder, a shift that has produced a career‑high 14 home runs in 2024 but has not translated into sustained damage in 2025.
The wrist injury that hampered him in the second half of 2025 appears to be a pivotal factor. Kwan has been working on rebuilding strength, but the data shows his hardest‑hit ball of the season left the bat at just 101.1 mph — a speed that would not have cracked the top 15 in previous seasons.
Looking Forward
Whether Kwan can return to his former dominance hinges on several variables. If the wrist issue resolves and he regains velocity, his contact‑first philosophy could still yield a high batting average. Yet the league’s evolving pitching strategies and the lingering physical limitations cast doubt on a swift rebound. For now, the Guardians and their fans can only watch and wait as Kwan attempts to rewrite his own narrative.