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The fact Steven Kwan isn’t the front runner for Rookie of the Year is a joke

By Chad Porto

Aug 12, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates in the dugout with team mates after scoring against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates in the dugout with team mates after scoring against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s lunacy that the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan isn’t the front runner for Rookie of the Year.

The home run is the most over-inflated stat in the history of baseball. For some reason, the value of hitting a home run means more to many than actually being the better player. Right now, Steven Kwan is sixth in odds to win the AL Rookie of the Year award. Our very own Betsided had Kwan sitting at sixth not that long ago.

The top cat is the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez. The rest are Jeremy Pena (Astros)
+850, Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals),  Adley Rutschman (Orioles), and lastly
Jose Miranda (Twins).

They’re not the only ones either, a lot of betting sites have Kwan sitting sixth. Even as recently as this week.

Kwan has as many doubles as many of these players, more triples and runs than anyone but Whitt and a higher batting average, and a higher on-base percentage. He has more walks, and fewer strikeouts, oh and his team is in first place.

The only thing any of these rookies have on Kwan is some of them hit more home runs. All of them, largely, have a lot more RBIs to their name, but that’s because Kwan’s a lead-off hitter. Getting on base is all that matters and since he took over for Myles Straw (and Franmil Reyes got ejected), the team’s offense has improved.

This is a travesty of justice.

Steven Kwan is obviously the Rookie of the Year for the American League

Considering that Kwan is a flat-out better player in nearly every metric but power than his contemporaries, it’s fair to say that Kwan should be the rookie of the year. It doesn’t make sense that bad hitters like Rodrigo (109 strikeouts) should be ahead of Kwan at all, let alone by the margin he is.

Kwan is a better hitter, he’s just not a better power hitter. So why is he being punished for doing what his team is asking him to do as well as he is? It’s not like he’s a bad lead-off hitter. Since taking over as the lead-off hitter in June, he’s hitting .327, with an on-base percentage of .431. In August alone, he has a 1.008 OPS.

Kwan is dominating out there, yet he’s being looked by. Again. It feels like 2001 all over again when C. C. Sabathia got passed over.

Next. 5 best performing prospects in the Cleveland Guardians minor leagues. dark

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