STEVEN ROBERT KWAN...Played three seasons at Oregon State and was 2018 All-Pac-12 and Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team First Team selection during his junior year as the Beavers won their third College World Series title in Omaha...For the year, he batted .355 (91-for-256)...For his collegiate career, batted .328 (158/481) with 16 2B, nine 3B, three HR, 96 runs in 156 games...Was a 2017 All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention in both 2017 and 2018...2015 graduate of Washington High School in Fremont, CA...Grew up a SF Giants fan and is a fan of the Golden State Warriors...Enjoys playing chess, journaling and basketball in his spare time...Mother played volleyball at San Jose State...Members of the 2018 OSU team: Adley Rutschman, Nick Madrigal, Trevor Larnach, Cadyn Grenier, Drew Rasmussen.
2022
Led Major League left fielders in bWAR (5.5) and led all ML rookies in hits (168) and runs (89), compiling a historic rookie year on his way to a Rawlings Gold Glove award and third-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting…Finished second among all Major League rookies with a 5.5 bWAR behind Seattle ROY Julio Rodríguez (6.2)...His 168 hits were the most by a Cleveland rookie batter since Hal Trosky (206) in 1934 and his .298 average was the highest by a qualified Cleveland rookie since Larry Doby in 1948...Overall was the eighth-highest single-season hit total by a rookie in club history (T-10th-highest run total)...43 multi-hit games were second in club history by a rookie (Kenny Lofton 48, 1992)...Kwan was the first qualified CLE rookie to finish with more walks than strikeouts since Kenny Lofton in 1992 (1.26 BB/SO) and the first in MLB since BOS's Dustin Pedroia in 2007 (1.12 BB/SO)...Made 110 starts in LF, six starts at DH and four starts in CF...Was a unanimous winner of an SIS Fielding Bible Award, leading all Major League left fielders in Defensive Runs Saved (21) and zone rating (.929) in addition to AL LF in total chances (233), compiling a .991 (233TC/9E/7 assists) fielding pct…Became just the sixth rookie to win a Rawlings Gold Glove since 1990 and just the second in Cleveland history, joining Sandy Alomar, Jr. in 1990 (last rookie was CWS CF Luis Robert in 2020)...Season got off to a torrid start, hitting .354 (17/48) in 15 April games (10RS, .959 OPS) on his way to AL Rookie of the Month honors…The eight hits through his first three career games (@KC, 4/7-10) were T-second-most ever (MLB 1901) after a five-hit game on April 10...second player since 1933 to record a five-hit game within first three career MLB games, joining CWS Yermín Mercedes(2021)...His .800 (8-for-10) avg was tied w/Mercedes for highest over a player's first three career games since at least 1901(min. 10 PA)…Reached 18 times, 4/7-12 (10-for-15, 7BB, HBP), most through a player's first five career games in MLB history (since 1900)...League adjusted in May (.173, 13/75) but he went on over .295 the remaining months, including .341 in June and .325 in September (21 runs, 28G) to take him Sept. AL Rookie of the Month honors (second in AL in H, T-fifth in Sept. RS)…53 times on base in Sept. were the most in calendar month by a Cleveland rookie since Max Alvis in June 1963 (55)...Second in MLB in 2nd half hits (91)...AL Second Half Leaders: Hits (second, 91), R (fourth, 50), AVG (sixth, .317), OBP (eighth, .384), SB (third, 14)...MLB Rookie Ranks: R (first, 89), AVG (first, .299), Hits (first, 168), BB (thirs, 62), on-base pct (first, .373)...Enjoyed a club season-high & career-high 18-game hit streak, 7/14-8/4 (longest by CLE rookie since 2010)...Didn’t post consecutive hitless games between 7/6 and 8/30, scored 22 runs in his last 24 games and over his last 17 games he hit .382 (29/76, 17R, 8XBH, 13RBI) to end the season…Walked 4x on Sept. 10 at MIN (club-high in ’22)...After taking over leadoff on June 21 he batted .311 (128- for-411) with 19 2B, 67 runs and a .379 OB% in 99 starts (club was 60-39(.606) in starts in 1-hole)…Led AL in July hits (38) as his 109 hits after June 30 were T-first in MLB with Freddie Freeman…First career grand slam & career-high 5RBI in division-clinching win at Texas on Sept. 25...After going hitless in two starts in the ALWC vs. TB, went on to hit .429 (9/21) in five ALDS games vs. the Yankees, bringing his postseason average to .300 (9/30) in seven games…Hit the first Postseason HR of his career in Game 1 of ALDS @ NYY (fourth rookie in franchise history to hit a HR in a postseason game)…His nine hits in ALDS most by a CLE rookie in a postseason series (prev: A Cabrera 2007 ALCS; L Doby 1948 WS in seven each) and most by an MLB rookie in an ALDS since HOU Yuri Gurriel in 2017 (nine; Ichiro’s 12 in 2001 is ALDS record).
2021
Batted a combined .328 (97-for-296) for the year between Akron and Columbus (15 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 44 RBI)...Named an MILB.com Organizational All-Star...Fanned only 31 times in 341 plate appearances...His 65 runs scored were eighth-most in the Cleveland Minor League system despite missing seven weeks with a right hamstring strain (May 7-June 24)...Began the year in Akron, kicked it in gear on July 23, batting .377 (46-for-122) over his final 32 Double-A games (8 2B, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 30 runs, .458 OBP) before being promoted to AAA Columbus on August 30... Proceeded to bat .538 (14-for-26) over his first seven games with the Clippers (9 RS, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI)...Reached base safely in 20 straight games (8/14-9/7) and hit in 12 straight (8/25-9/7) between the two levels...Hit safely in 21 of 26 Triple-A games and reached base safely in 23 of those contests, good enough for a .398 on-base pct. and .903 OPS at AAA... Among AAA hitters from Sept. 1-on, he finished tied for third in runs (23), tied for fifth in hits (32) and tied for eighth in total bases (52)...Enters 2022 the best defensive OF (Baseball America)... On the year, he batted .337 (76-for-225) with 12 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 36 RBI and .295 (21- for-71) with 7 XBH...Batted .316 (36-for-114) with runners on and .373 (25-for-67) with RISP...On the year, he appeared in 45 games in CF, 15 games in LF and 11 games in RF.
