Steven Kwan

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #27 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Kwan starred at Oregon State, helping to lead the Beavers to the 2018 national championship. While in college he built a strong track record for on-base skills and hitting, and that carried over to pro ball. He had a breakout 2021 season while splitting time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.
  
  Scouting Report: Kwan’s size has always led to questions about his impact potential. What’s never really been in doubt, however, is his ability to put the bat on the ball. He has excellent feel for the barrel and rarely strikes out—he whiffed in just 9% of his plate appearances in 2021. That fit with his profile as a slap-hitting leadoff hitter prior to 2021, but in 2021 he produced surprising power. While Akron and Columbus are both hitter-friendly ballparks, he did his best to answer questions about his ability to drive the ball. Kwan is an above-average runner and tracks balls well in center field.
  
  The Future: Kwan’s 2021 season led the Guardians to add him to their 40-man roster in November, setting him up to make his major league debut as soon as 2022. While he’s likely to end up as a fourth outfielder in the long run, Kwan has exceeded expectations throughout his career and if his newfound power carries over to the big leagues he could do so again.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #262 prospect in 2018 draft
  Kwan leads things off in Oregon State's potent lineup and has proven to be an on-base machine. He is a nightmare for opposing pitchers and is one of the toughest players to strike out in Division I baseball. After striking out around seven percent of the time through his first two seasons with the Beavers, Kwan has cut that rate to 4.8 percent in 2018, striking out just 12 times through his first 199 at-bats. His walk rate has done the exact opposite, shooting from under three percent during his freshman season to over 17 percent through his first 49 games this spring--even more impressive when considering Kwan's poor power. A rangy center fielder, Kwan has a slap-hitting approach, spraying the ball to all fields and getting on base with above-average speed. While there are questions regarding how his approach will pan out in pro ball, Kwan has hit well over .300 in each of his last two seasons at Oregon State and has a strong track record of hitting in wood-bat leagues. He hit .304/.381/.342 in 26 games in the Cape Cod League last summer. Because of his ability to play above-average defense in center field and his speed, Kwan projects as a fourth outfielder whose bat might be too light to ever make him a regular.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Kwan starred at Oregon State, helping to lead the Beavers to the 2018 national championship. While in college he built a strong track record for on-base skills and hitting, and that carried over to pro ball. He had a breakout 2021 season while splitting time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.
  
  Scouting Report: Kwan’s size has always led to questions about his impact potential. What’s never really been in doubt, however, is his ability to put the bat on the ball. He has excellent feel for the barrel and rarely strikes out—he whiffed in just 9% of his plate appearances in 2021. That fit with his profile as a slap-hitting leadoff hitter prior to 2021, but in 2021 he produced surprising power. While Akron and Columbus are both hitter-friendly ballparks, he did his best to answer questions about his ability to drive the ball. Kwan is an above-average runner and tracks balls well in center field.
  
  The Future: Kwan’s 2021 season led the Guardians to add him to their 40-man roster in November, setting him up to make his major league debut as soon as 2022. While he’s likely to end up as a fourth outfielder in the long run, Kwan has exceeded expectations throughout his career and if his newfound power carries over to the big leagues he could do so again.