Cleveland Guardians All-Star Given Elite Rating
![Apr 27, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) catches a fly ball against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Apr 27, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) catches a fly ball against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3065,h_1724,x_0,y_79/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/cleveland_baseball_insider/01jjtdytcwgpsbt9jvpx.jpg)
The Cleveland Guardians may have parted ways with some former All-Stars this off-season, but they still have elite talent on their roster.
One of those players is Steven Kwan, who the MLB Network ranked as their eighth-best left fielder heading into the 2025 season.
Kwan finished the 2024 season with a .292/.368/.425 slash line including a .793 OPS and a 131 wRC+.
The absurd part about this stat line is that it's actually a little disappointing, considering the left fielder at one point had a .400 batting average during the regular season.
Kwan even added a power element to his game and finished the year with a career-high 14 home runs.
However, a back injury in the second half of the year hurt his overall season stats. Kwan flipped it right back on and demonstrated his elite bat-to-ball skills during the playoffs.
Fun fact: Steven Kwan has won a Gold Glove in every season he’s been a professional.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 30, 2025
The 2024 All-Star grabs the #8 spot on The Shredder's list of the best left fielders in the game. #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/Mc5hIFBa79
Kwan is a great left fielder because he is not only one of the best offensive players in baseball but also one of the best defenders.
Kwan has won a Gold Glove in each of his first three big-league seasons. Last year, he ranked in the 85th percentile in outs above average and 99th percentile in arm value.
Considering how well-rounded and consistent Kwan is, it is shocking that he wasn't ranked higher on this list. Some of the notable names that were rated above Cleveland's left fielder include Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Ian Happ.
MLB Network noted how, at one point last season, Kwan was the second-best hitter in baseball, only trailing Aaron Judge, but is still the second-best contact hitter in baseball behind Luis Arraez.
Still, eighth wasn't the highest the All-Star was ranked.
Maybe Kwan will use this as fuel heading into 2025 to prove that he's not only the best left fielder, but one of the best players in the sport.