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1 hour ago
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A leadoff hitter's primary objective is to get on base.
Even last season, Cleveland Guardians leadoff man Steven Kwan struggled with that more than he had in the rest of his career.
And this season? Oof, it hasn't been pretty.
Kwan keeps leading off, but it might be time for a change.
This stat from former TV broadcaster Bryan Shaw (not former Cleveland reliever Bryan Shaw) sums it up:
Since May of 2025, Steven Kwan is 143rd out of 145 qualified hitters in OPS... ahead of Josh Lowe and KeBryan Hayes
For 2026 alone, he ranks 165th out of 177 players
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There's a lot of ways to do this, though. Kwan's career-low on-base percentage was the .330 he had last year. So far this season, he's at just .304.
Kwan's OPS was a career-low .705 last year. It's down at .573 so far this season.
He doesn't hit for much pop, and now he's not even getting the singles or walks it takes to be successful in that spot.
Sure, Kwan is still making a lot of contact. But a declining bat speed has been reflected in pretty much all of his other metrics.
Whether or not this is temporary is hard to know. But what's clear is that the Guardians' lineup has a near-zero in the leadoff spot. That seems worth changing, even if the alteration isn't permanent.
Moving Kwan down could help him find his swing with a bit less pressure, and it could also help Cleveland score more runs. It's about time to try something.
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