How do you pitch to Kwan? 'It's not an at-bat that you want'

CINCINNATI -- Ask any pitcher in the Guardians’ clubhouse how they would pitch to Steven Kwan and you’ll get the same answer: I wouldn’t.

Why? Well, Kwan proved it with his ninth three-plus-hit game of the season in the Guardians’ 5-3 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, helping Cleveland get an early lead in its quest to retain the Ohio Cup.

Thanks to a single and two doubles, Kwan has now recorded a hit in each of his seven games since he was activated off the injured list, going 13-for-25 (.520) with five RBIs and 10 runs scored in that span. Because he missed nearly a month due to a hamstring strain, he doesn’t currently have enough plate appearances to be a qualified hitter (he’ll get there, assuming he stays healthy). But if you look at hitters who have at least 150 plate appearances this season, his .380 average is well above all the rest, considering no one else is above .340.

“Just sticking to the plan. Probably a little bit of luck,” Kwan said. “It’s hard to say what it is. Things are obviously clicking right now.”

The Guardians’ pitching staff spent the night talking about how they’d face Kwan if they had to. Luckily for them, they don’t. But opposing pitchers don’t have that choice. So, how does one go about attacking him? Let’s see just how difficult it really is.

Do you go with the fastball?
Probably shouldn’t. Entering the night, Kwan had a .400 average and .558 slugging percentage against heaters. Then, he added a single and a two-run double on four-seamers.

Would it help to change the eye level?
Kwan’s sweet spot isn’t the middle of the plate, so working north and south may not play in your favor. He’s dominant anywhere over the lower third of the dish and -- except for pitches that are up and in -- he’s hitting over .350 at the top of the zone, too. Maybe if there’s a hole, it’s that up-and-in corner of the strike zone.

Do you go with breaking pitches?
Nope. Kwan was hitting .371 with a .600 slugging percentage against breaking pitches entering Tuesday. He then added a double in the seventh on a slider.

So, do you go with offspeed?
For a split second, you may think this is it. He was only hitting .250 against offspeed pitches before this series. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll notice his expected batting average is .301 against offspeed pitches. That just means he’s been running into some bad luck and it’s only a matter of time before more of those pitches fall in for hits, too.

OK, we’re out of pitch types. Do you simply try to get him to chase?
You can try, but you probably won’t be successful.

The goal for all Guardians hitters was to be more impactful at the plate this year. Usually, that means being OK with some more chase and more swing and miss. Kwan’s barrel rate isn’t high, but it’s up from last year. He has four homers already this season when he had five in 158 games last year. So, he has been more impactful at the plate, but somehow, he hasn’t experienced any of the drawbacks.

The percentage of swings he’s taken at pitches out of the strike zone is down 2.7 percent this year. Plus, he’s still in Statcast’s 100th percentile in whiff rate for the third consecutive year. And let’s say a pitcher does get him to chase something high out of the zone. Well, he had a .400 batting average on the outer half of the plate and a .500 average on the inner half coming into the night.

Do you walk him?
Is that smart? You avoid his bat, but he’s also a dangerous baserunner. Since the start of 2022, he’s tied for the second most Runner Runs in the Majors. In layman’s terms, this means Kwan has added nine extra runs on the bases since he’s been in the Majors. And if he’s on base, that gives José Ramírez and Josh Naylor chances to knock him in.

A handful of Guardians pitchers laughed this year when asked about facing Kwan. Some joked they’d hit him or walk him. Everyone eventually just says, “I wouldn’t pitch to him.” It’s pretty clear why.

“It’s not an at-bat that you want,” Guardians starter Triston McKenzie said. “Eventually, it’s either probably going to be a hit or a walk.”