Steven Kwan is one of the best players on the Cleveland Guardians, but his consistency at the plate is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Steven Kwan has established himself as one of the top players on the Cleveland Guardians and in MLB. Following the 2025 season, Kwan earned his fourth Gold Glove award in four seasons and was named to his second All-Star Game.
Even though Kwan may be one of the most sought-after players by contenders this winter on the trade market, the outfielder isn’t perfect, and there is one trend over the last few seasons of Kwan’s career that may raise some eyebrows.
Throughout Kwan’s four-year career, he has a .268/.342/.377 with an .718 OPS slashline during the second half of the season. Overall, those aren’t terrible numbers. But when you look at his .292/.359/.400 slash line with a .760 OPS in the first half of his career, clearly, the 28-year-old has had an issue sustaining his All-Star Number throughout a season.
Here’s a look at Kwan’s second-half slash line by season:
- 2022: .317/.384/.439
- 2023: .275/.346/.396
- 2024: .206/.316/.302
- 2025: .254/.310/.345
Sep 17, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) looks on during an at-bat in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn ImagesYes, Kwan had some good numbers during the second half of the first few years of his career, but what he’s done after the All-Star break the last two seasons certainly stands out.
The big question with this, though, is whether the Guardians should be concerned about this trend. When you consider that this isn’t an issue isolated to one season, Cleveland doesn’t need to be sounding all of the alarm bells, but it is certainly something they need to be slightly worried about.
One of the reasons for Kwan’s dip in production over the last two seasons was due to injuries. Kwan landed on the injured list in September of 2024 and was dealing with a wrist injury for the second part of the 2025 campaign. He also has a history of hamstring injuries, dating back to his minor league games.
Right now, Kwan is not a prone player. That said, the fact that ailments have noticeably affected his production when Cleveland typically needs him the most isn’t an issue that goes away with age. Like all of us, athletes or not, injuries become more common as we get older.
Again, coming off a season in which Kwan had a wRC+ of 85 after the All-Star Break could potentially worry interested teams.
Kwan’s plate discipline, bat-to-ball skills, and elite defense make him one of the top players in the American League. Still, Cleveland must help the 28-year-old stay consistent and healthy through a full 162-game season.