Since making his big league debut in 2022, Steven Kwan has established himself as one of the Cleveland Guardians’ most influential players.
Along with being vital to his team’s offense, Kwan has made a name for himself as an extremely reliable glove in the outfield, earning two All-Star selections and four Gold Glove awards for his displays in left field so far.
A potential positional adjustment may be on the cards for Kwan in 2026, as he is getting reps in center field in spring training.
Speaking to MLB Network Radio on Friday, former major league pitcher C.J. Nitkowski explained why that move could make plenty of sense for the Guardians, given how the outfield plays at Progressive Field.
“I look at left field, it’s a shorter left field (in Cleveland). It’s a high wall. It’s not Fenway, but there are some similarities in how you play it. Not that you’re looking to hide guys, but you know, that’s a pretty decent left field to be able to play, if you don’t have a lot of range. Somewhat similar to Houston, although you got the big cutout, so it’s a bit different,” Nitkowski said.
“If I feel like Steven Kwan is a better center fielder, I’m not worried about taking him out of left, I guess that’s the point, right. You’re not in Pittsburgh, where you have a lot of area to cover; you need a good defensive left fielder, or you’re going to have some problems. That (switching Steven Kwan to center field) might be better off, then. Makes a lot of sense, based on the ballpark,” he added.
Steven Kwan Speaks About Potential Transition Into Center Field
Speaking to insider Tim Stebbins of MLB.com on Friday, February 20, Steven Kwan offered his take on a potential transition to center field.
“It was just like, ‘Hey, I know we’re dealing with a lot of decisions in the outfield. If me being in the center makes things easier for other guys to find some spots, I’m all in.’ It’s going to be a lot harder. There are some great athletes in center field. So if I want to keep that going, I’ve got to play my A game. And if not, we’ve got lessons to learn, and we go from there. In left field, you can kind of take a good break and then throttle down to readjust if your route isn’t perfect,” Kwan said.
“In center field, especially for me, because I don’t have blazing speed, I have to get that angle and just go, and then adjust on the fly. If there’s any kind of hesitation, those are where you get exposed, and that’s where you don’t convert the ball [into outs]. I’ve just got to make sure my reads are going to be good. This is a new challenge, something that I can be real intentional with,” he added.
Steven Kwan finished the 2025 season with a .272 batting average, 11 home runs, and 56 RBIs.
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