Steven Kwan has emerged as a breakout star for the Cleveland Guardians this year, leading the majors in batting average (.367) and earning his first All-Star selection as a starter on Wednesday. The 26-year-old outfielder’s performance has helped transform the Guardians’ offense, which now ranks among the top 10 in OPS and runs scored.
- Breakout season: Kwan’s impressive slash line of .390/.448/.575 includes a career-high seven home runs. Kwan, who made his MLB debut in 2022, now boasts a 1.023 OPS, ranking behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
- Representing his heritage: Kwan, who is of Chinese and Japanese descent, started playing baseball in Little League at age 10 with full support from his parents. The Bay Area native faced racism throughout his life, from childhood taunts to bigoted comments from opposing fans in his professional career. Despite being ineligible to play for Team Japan or Team China in the World Baseball Classic due to MLB rules, Kwan remains proud of his heritage and hopes to inspire other Asian American athletes.
