Steven Kwan is basically a glitch in the modern baseball matrix. In an era where everyone is trying to hit the ball to the moon and nobody cares about striking out 200 times, Kwan is out here playing like it's 1948. People obsess over the Steven Kwan batting average because it represents something we rarely see anymore: pure, unadulterated bat-to-ball skill.
Honestly, if you looked at his 2024 season, you saw a guy flirting with .400 for a massive chunk of the summer. He finished that year at .292, which is great, but it doesn't quite capture the "Kwan-sanity" that gripped Cleveland when he was hitting .398 in mid-June. Then 2025 rolled around, and things got a bit weirder. He ended the 2025 campaign with a .272 average. For most players, that’s a solid year. For a contact specialist like Kwan, it sparked a ton of debate about whether the league finally found his "kryptonite" or if he was just battling the usual wear and tear of a 156-game grind.
The Reality Behind the Steven Kwan Batting Average
When we talk about his average, we’re talking about a guy who simply refuses to swing and miss. In 2024, his swing-and-miss rate was roughly 8.2%. To put that in perspective, that was the second-best mark in the entire league, trailing only Luis Arraez. You’ve got to be incredibly precise to pull that off.
Kwan isn't just lucky. He's calculated.
Most hitters have massive holes in their swing where they can’t touch a high fastball or a disappearing slider. Kwan doesn't really have those. In 2025, even when his average dipped to .272, he still managed to drive in a career-high 56 RBI and swipe 21 bases. It’s a different kind of productivity. You aren't getting 40 home runs from him—he hit 11 in 2025 and 14 the year before—but you are getting someone who moves the line.
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Breaking Down the Yearly Splits
Let's look at how the Steven Kwan batting average has fluctuated since he broke into the league:
- 2022: .298 (The rookie breakout)
- 2023: .268 (The sophomore slump)
- 2024: .292 (The All-Star peak)
- 2025: .272 (The high-volume grind)
The career average sits at .281. In the current MLB environment, where the league-wide average often hovers around .240, hitting .281 over four years makes you an elite outlier.
What Most People Get Wrong About His 2025 "Dip"
There’s a narrative that Kwan "fell off" in 2025 because his average dropped twenty points from the previous year. That’s a bit of a reach. If you look at the underlying data, he had some serious bad luck with "BABIP" (Batting Average on Balls In Play). Basically, he was hitting the ball just as hard, but it was heading straight at defenders more often than it did in 2024.
He also dealt with a mid-back inflammation issue in late 2024 and some hamstring tightness in 2025. When a guy relies on his legs and his ability to beat out infield singles, even a 5% drop in speed because of a nagging injury can kill a batting average.
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Kwan is a "slap" hitter by trade, but he’s remarkably good when he’s behind in the count. In fact, he led the majors in 2024 with a .318 average when he had two strikes on him. That's insane. Most players are lucky to hit .180 in those counts. It shows a level of mental toughness that you just can't teach.
Why the Guardians Just Paid Him $7.725 Million
The Cleveland Guardians clearly aren't worried. In early January 2026, they settled with Kwan on a $7.725 million contract to avoid arbitration. That's a massive raise from his previous salary.
Why pay that for a .272 hitter?
- Defense: He’s won three straight Gold Gloves (2022, 2023, 2024).
- Consistency: He played 156 games in 2025. Availability is a skill.
- The "Kwan Factor": He wears out pitchers. Even when he makes an out, it’s usually after an 8-pitch battle that leaves the pitcher exhausted for the next guy.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers have been rumored to be sniffing around for a trade, according to various reports this offseason. They want that high-floor average. They want the guy who won't strike out in the 9th inning with the bases loaded.
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Looking Ahead to 2026
Projections for 2026 have the Steven Kwan batting average bouncing back to around .278. He’s now 28 years old, which is theoretically a player's prime. He’s figured out how to add a little more "pop" to his swing without sacrificing his contact skills—his 11 homers last year were consistent with his new aggressive approach at the plate.
He isn't going to win a Home Run Derby. He might never hit .400 over a full season. But Steven Kwan is the closest thing we have to a modern-day Tony Gwynn.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
If you're tracking Kwan this season, don't just look at the batting average on the scoreboard. Watch his strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 2025, he walked 55 times and only struck out 60 times. That nearly 1:1 ratio is the real secret to his value. If that ratio stays healthy, the batting average will naturally follow. Keep an eye on his "Infield Hit" percentage early in the season; if he’s beating out throws to first, it’s a sign his legs are 100% healthy, and a .300 season is back on the table.