This Cleveland Guardians Star Is Becoming a Problem For The Team

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan has come crashing back down to earth.

Aug 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Steven Kwan (38) rounds third base en route to scoring during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this season, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan was the talk of the town. He was hitting everything that came his way, and .400 appeared to be on the table.

Kwan was a problem for all of the other 29 teams around baseball.

Now, he is a problem for the Guardians.

Over the last couple of months, Kwan has cratered. Since the start of July, Kwan has been mired in a miserable slump. He slashed .250/.286/.380 last month, and thus far in August, he is slashing a meager .234/.319/.359.

That comes after Kwan posted OPSes of 1.219 and 1.018, respectively, in May and June.

So, what exactly has happened to Kwan?

Well, it's entirely possible that he is regressing to the mean.

Prior to 2024, the 26-year-old was a decent player and nothing more. He slashed .298/.373/.400 during his debut campaign in 2022. Solid, but not spectacular. Then, last season, Kwan slashed .268/.340/.370. He owns a lifetime OPS of .774.

Kwan is a decent hitter, but it's not surprising that he has backslidden from the unreal pace he was on earlier in the year.

This has absolutely caused problems for the Guardians, who have been one of the most inconsistent teams in baseball over the last several weeks.

Yes, Cleveland is 72-52 and still sits in first place in the AL Central, but the Guardians have very Jekyll and Hyde lately. They won five straight. Then they lost seven in a row. Then they won five consecutive games again. Then they got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers.

But really, since May 26 when they were 36-17, the Guardians have been decidely average. They have gone just 36-35 since then, and Kwan's regression is certainly a significant reason for that.

Cleveland doesn't have a lot of lineup depth as it is. Once you get past Kwan, Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor, there really isn't much there. That's what makes Kwan's rough two-month stretch all the more harmful.

A deeper look into Kwan's numbers shows that was he was achieving in May and June simply was not sustainable.

Kwan had a .500 BABIP in May. For reference, the league average is around .290. He then posted a .380 BABIP in June. In July, that number dipped to .244, and in August, it's .236. Yes, Kwan's BABIP for July and August is abnormally low. There is a happy medium somewhere in there, but it probably won't lead to Kwan hitting close to .400 again.

The Guardians have been incredibly lucky this year, which isn't a good thing for their long-term prospects. At some point, things level out, and that appears to be what is happening to Kwan right now.