Guardians Standout Player Of The Week: May 8
This week, there was quite a competition for the standout player. Triston McKenzie put himself in contention with a few dazzling starts, and Franmil Reyes looks to be back on track after a difficult start to the season. Ultimately, this week’s standout player goes to Steven Kwan for getting some career firsts in big moments for the Guardians.
Frankly, Kwan probably could have won this award a few times now because he has been playing so well this season. He has been playing well enough to even earn the American League Rookie of the Month award for April.
In Kwan’s last seven games, he is batting .250 with six RBI and seven hits. It is his consistency like this that has made Kwan such a valuable piece of this Guardians lineup so early in the season.
The first big moment of Kwan’s week came on Wednesday in the second game of the Guardians’ doubleheader with the San Diego Padres. After the Guardians had a late game comeback, Kwan walked up to the plate in the bottom of the tenth inning and did what he does best. He put a nice and easy swing on the ball, knocked a base hit into right field allowing Owen Miller to score, and Kwan to get his first ever walk-off hit!
Looking back on the walk-off, Kwan said, "That one I didn't hit very good but it finds a way through and that's the beauty of baseball." That is an example of a guy that is not trying to do too much and just gets the ball in play.
It was an awesome scene to see him get swarmed by the Guardians dugout. But it was just as awesome to see the Guardians come away with a big win against a very good NL East team.
Kwan’s second big moment of the week came the day after in the first game of the Guardians' matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. After the Guardians went down 2-0 early, Kwan came up in the third inning with Austin Hedges on base. Kwan took matters into his own hands and blasted a two-run home run to tie up the game and help the Guardians get the win.
This was Kwan’s first home run of his career, and it could not have come at a better time to get the Guardians back in the game.
The most impressive thing with Kwan the past week, which has been the theme of the season so far, is how clutch and calm he has been in big moments. This was especially apparent in Kwan’s approach to the plate during his walk-off at bat. It can take players years to feel comfortable in big moments, but not for Kwan.
Kwan’s big career moments during clutch spots of last week’s games are what made him stand out most for this award. However other Guardians players are starting to heat up, so make sure to come back next week to see who the standout player of the week is.
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