Steven Kwan Has Competition For Batting Title, Cleveland Guardians News

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. is closing in on Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan in the batting title race.

Jun 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) watches his single in the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Steven Kwan has undoubtedly been the best hitter in baseball this season. A month ago, it looked like he was going to win the batting title and become the first Cleveland Guardians player to accomplish that feat.

However, baseball is a funny game. One cool stretch from one player and a hot streak from another can completely change that outlook of their complete season stats. 

That’s exactly what has happened with Kwan, and now Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has firmly planted himself in the batting title race.

But how did we get here?

Kwan has a batting average of .368 from the beginning of the season up until July 1. He was hitting everything in sight, and at one point, had more three-hit games than no-hit games. It didn’t look like anyone would be able to catch him.

However, Kwan has hit a cold stretch (for his standards) over the last month. He has a .277 batting average over the last 30 games and a .222 average over his last seven, while his strikeouts are uncharacteristically going up.

At the same time Kwan began to slow down, Bobby Witt began to take off. In his last 15 games, he has a batting average of .508 and a .519 average over his last seven games. 

As it stands, Kwan has a season batting average of .347, while Witt’s sits at .340. It’s close, but Kwan is still barely in the lead. 

Jul 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) reacts after being hit by a pitch during the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

What makes this battle especially fun to watch down the stretch is how each team plays in the same division. Witt is trying to chase down Kwan while the Royals are looking to catch up to the Guardians in the division. 

The batting title, along with the AL Central race, will be something to watch with a close eye over the final two months of the season.