Steven Kwan has been the Cleveland Guardians' hottest hitter in July after a first half he'd like to forget.
No one is going to deny that the 2026 season has largely been a rough one for Steven Kwan. Even the Cleveland Guardians hitter would admit this year hasn't gone the way he would've liked.
At the end of June, Kwan had a .575 OPS and a 70 wRC+. Not only were these marks the lowest of his career, but they were also the lowest among qualified players in MLB.
There were truly times throughout the year when there were questions about whether Kwan could get back to being a two-time All-Star. He was even bumped down to hitting ninth in the Guardians' lineup after spending most of his career leading off.
The Guardians were hopeful that Kwan could improve and have a big second half, and that's exactly what's coming to fruition.
Instead of sulking and chalking 2026 up as a lost year, Kwan has continued to put work in, take everything step by step, and now he's just about back to being where.
Since the start of July, Kwan has a .400/.509/.556 slash line and a 204 wRC+. If his 1.065 OPS holds for another week, it would be the highest Kwan has ever recorded in a single calendar month.
Jul 21, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) reacts after hitting an RBI double during the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesThese stats only tell half the story, though.
Kwan, back in his old leadoff spot, has been putting together some exceptional at-bats lately. On Monday evening, he started the game off with a 10-pitch at-bat, and on Tuesday, he kicked off the night with a nine-pitch battle.
That's the Kwan Cleveland has grown accustomed to watching the last four years.
With all that in mind, what's been the difference this month? What has Kwan done to truly turn his season around?
Kwan said over the weekend his goal at the plate has been to get on base, but also try to hit the ball lower, eliminating the flyouts that plagued his at-bats earlier in the season.
"I'm just trying to keep it simple, trying to just like go back to what worked before," Kwan explained. "Understanding what they're gonna give me, and I just have to take what they give me.
Right now, that's working. Kwan has a 41.5 percent line drive rate since the start of the month.
Despite what the numbers say and what the eye test shows, Kwan is still hesitant to admit he's back to being an All-Star-caliber hitter of the past.
"I don't want to fall in love with a small sample size. Like, it's three weeks, but baseball can change on the flip of a dime."
However, manager Stephen Vogt has a different takeaway after watching him pull a ball to deep right-center field for an RBI double on Tuesday night.
"Kwany's back."
