Cleveland Baseball Insider

"It's Extremely Blessing:" This Is What Steven Kwan Has To Say About Being A Rookie Of The Year Finalist

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan talks about what it means to be a Rookie of the Year finalist.

Tommy Wild

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The Guardians have received a lot of attention since the offseason began. They've had a handful of award winners and nominations and one of them is Steven Kwan being up for the American League Rookie of the Year.

This is what he had to say after it was announced he was a finalist: 

"It's extremely blessing. I think at the beginning of the year I didn't know what my role would be. I really thought I might be a fourth guy in the outfield, maybe get in for a pinch run, maybe bunt off the bench, but I've been very fortunate I had a role that I fulfilled and helped the team win a couple of times. It's very humbling."

It amazes me that every time I hear Kwan talk, he always brings it back to the team and not himself. This team-first mentality is what has brought him so much success in the Majors. 

Kwan wasn't thinking about how can I be rookie of the year, he thought about how can I help my team win. That mindset is what brought him to be a ROY finalist.

Kwan's playstyle is a unique throwback that he's been able to find success with. Very different from the power-hitting Julio Rodriguez and Adley Rutschman who are who he's up against for the award. 

He never let that affect him just like how he hasn't let it affect him at the Big League level. Kwan said that "I wasn't going to be the guy to hit the ball out of the ballpark so I kind of had to look at other avenues to see where I was going to impact the game."

When Kwan won the Gold Glove Award just last week, he immediately gave credit to the team for their focus on defense throughout the organization. 

He gave that credit to the organization yet again saying, "I feel grateful (the Guardians organization) didn't try to restructure my swing from day one, if anything they just try to add to it."

It's an exciting time for Guardians fans and Kwan being up for Rookie of the Year is just one more thing for fans to get pumped about!

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Read More:

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Steven Kwan Represents Guardians As An American League Rookie Of The Year Finalist

Cleveland Baseball Insider's 2022 Guardians Top 50 Prospects Update, No. 50 RHP Aaron Davenport

Don't Expect The Guardians To Trade Amed Rosario This Offseason

The Guardians Should Target Carlos Rodon This Offseason

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Tommy Wild
TOMMY WILD

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