Guardians Skipper Discusses Steven Kwan’s Slow Start

Steven Kwan has built an impressive resume as an All-Star-caliber player at the big-league level since his MLB debut four years ago. Unfortunately, that’s not how the Cleveland Guardians outfielder has looked one month into the 2026 season.

Kwan, who has a history of hot starts, has just a .221/.310/.602 batting average to start the season, and just simply hasn’t looked like himself at the plate. Cleveland’s leadoff hitter has been one of the toughest outs 

Manager Stephen Vogt believes Kwan’s slow start is a combination of multiple things, including opposing teams’ pitch sequencing and just simple adjustments that hitters go through during their career.

“Kwan's name is circled in the lineup, and the league knows if Kwan gets on base, they're in trouble,” said Vogt earlier in the week. 

“I think they're pitching him very carefully. He's been in the most 0-2 counts of anybody in the league, and he gets to two strikes a lot. They're not giving him anything to hit early in the counts. 
It seems like when they do, it's, like, absolutely perfectly dotted.”

On top of teams pitching Kwan tough, Vogt also noted that Kwan’s not feeling his best, not necessarily physically, but because of not getting the early results he used to. There’s no player in baseball who likes looking up at the Jumbotron at the ballpark and seeing an OPS hovering around .600.

“It's just been one of those perfect storms of Kwan’s not feeling his best, and he's getting pitched really tough,” continued Vogt. “I mean, when you're not, when you're not getting results, you're not at your best. And I think Kwan’s close.”

If there are any encouraging signs, Kwan’s plate discipline has changed or has been affected by the lack of results. He’s not striking out at a high rate, not chasing or whiffing at pitches out of the zone, and taking walks when they’re given to him.

The good news is that, despite Kwan’s slow start at the plate, the Guardians offense has still found a way to 16-15 through the first month of the season. 

Now, if Cleveland can get their All-Star leadoff hitter back on track, the Guardians could be looking at a breakout from the entire lineup sooner rather than later. 

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