Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan has experience playing center field, but not at the big-league level.
Steven Kwan has only ever really played left field since making his big-league debut in 2022. Sure, he’s made a few mid-game substitutions to center, and actually had his first MLB start in right field. However, Kwan has primarily been a left fielder, and a darn good one, too.
In four seasons, Kwan has already racked up four Gold Glove Awards and established himself as one of baseball’s overall top defenders. But he and the Cleveland Guardians are trying an experiment out this spring: moving Kwan over to center field at times. Kwan started his first game in center on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.
Even though Kwan has rarely played center field in the Majors, it’s more of a new old position for him. Kwan played there in all of college and most of the Minors, too.
That’s the mindset Kwan is bringing to this experiment. He’s focused on readjusting to the position, rather than feeling like it’s an entirely new challenge.
“Kind of reaclimating to what center feels like. [I] played it all in the minors, [and] played it all in college,” Kwan said. “I guess I just kind of took for granted, the angles and the reads out there.”
Jun 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) catches a ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesIf there’s any place to readjust to the position, it’s out in Goodyear, where the ballpark has been historically difficult for outfielders to pick up fly balls, given the heat, sun, and wind. This was a challenge Tyler Freeman talked a lot about when he was learning center field a few years back.
Kwan continued that spring training is the best time to get back into the position, “Especially with like the Arizona air too, the ball travel a little further, I think it's a good experience to kind of get my bearings on me, see how the ball's gonna fly and make those reads.”
Even though Kwan has played center in college and the Minors, nothing compares to the big leagues, considering both the sheer size of the ballparks and the different lighting, but also the pressure that comes with being a big-league center fielder.
That said, Kwan is excited for the challenge and is embracing it.
“I think it's maybe a little excitement paired with, you don't want to get exposed out there and, be embarrassed to playing a new position.” Cleveland’s outfielder continued.
“I don't want to say it's complacency, but, you kind of know the reads out and left, the walls. It's really easy to go through the motion. Kind of having a new challenge here, talking to some of the guys I don't really talk to, it's been really fun.”
The best version of Cleveland’s lineup has Kwan playing center field, allowing other players to spend time in left, and it seems like he's doing everything he can to make sure he feels comfortable at the position if he’s called on to play it this season.
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