2025 Fantasy Baseball: Steven Kwan Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
Steven Kwan was on a career pace last year in runs and RBIs while showing surprising power for the first time with Cleveland. His average hit rate is trending higher, but 15 home runs would be much to ask for in 2025.
Home run hitter, Steven Kwan, hits number 10 on the season.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/WQTPOub8lM
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 23, 2024
OF – Steven Kwan, CLE (ADP – 139.3)
Kwan was on pace for his best season in fantasy value in 2024, thanks to finding a power stroke (14 home runs), but two stints on the injured list (hamstring and back) led to 23 missed games. He hit an impressive .354 over his first 285 at-bats with 56 runs, nine home runs, 27 RBIs, and six stolen bases. Unfortunately, his swing had a correction over his final 196 at-bats (.200/27/5/17/6). Kwan was on pace for 99 runs, 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.
He came to the plate with only 231 runners on base, creating weakness in his RBI chance. His strikeout rate (9.4) is one of the best in baseball while continuing to have above average results taking walks (9.8%). Kwan ranked 190th out of 207 batters with 400 or more plate appearances in exit velocity (86.3 mph) and 203rd in hard-hit rate (23.7). His rise in power was tied to a career-best fly-ball rate (39.4), HR/FB rate (8.4), and launch angle (14.9).
His average hit rate (1.457) improved for the second season, but it doesn’t support a push higher than 15 home runs. Kwan ranked 78th in FPGscore (-0.21) for hitters, compared to 87th in 2023 (-0.92) with 158 fewer at-bats.
Fantasy Outlook: Investing in Kwan gives a drafter two areas of strength (batting average and runs). He grades below average in RBIs with some positive help in stolen bases. Based on his stats last year, and quick math adding some more at-bats, fantasy drafters may extrapolate that he is on a path to becoming a .290/100/15/60/20 player. If that is his ceiling, his price point is fair for his results.
On the flip side, a regression to 2022 (6) and 2023 (5) in home runs suggests a much weaker piece to a winning franchise. He is not my style of player, but the sum of his parts and potential may pay off, especially if Kwan posts a .320+ batting average with over 600 at-bats.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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