Guardians: Steven Kwan stayed the same guy throughout first-half struggles

CLEVELAND — Steven Kwan was at the worst point of his career for the majority of the first half, but it was tough to tell, especially for his manager and teammates. "The beauty with Kwany is he hasn't changed. The first part of the year wasn't going his way. You would've never known," manager Stephen Vogt said. "His demeanor is the way he is as a teammate. And when he goes, we go and it's refreshing." "He's a pro's pro. I've never played with someone with a better ability to be the same guy every day," rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana said. "People talk about that all the time. It's really hard. And Kwan's the best person in the clubhouse, best person to everyone he sees day in, day out, every single day, regardless how the game went. And the work continues to be the same. So, it's pretty inspiring, and that's who people look to in the clubhouse to see how to act." Kwan maintained his composure, staying positive despite career-low numbers before the All-Star break — a .225/.332/.282 slash line, one home run and 16 RBIs over 89 games. The notoriously fast starter, who was considered one of the American League's top leadoff hitters when the season began, was dropped to the ninth spot in the order. Still, he brought the same approach and attitude to the ballpark each day. "I think that's kind of what having four years under your belt is," said Kwan, who made his MLB debut for Cleveland in 2022. "I've seen a lot of guys kind of ride the waves of high and lows and I really respected the guys that were even-keeled throughout. I thought that was what the definition of a pro was. And that was kind of my focus throughout this whole year was, 'Yeah, I'm not happy with where I am swing-wise, but the worst thing you can do is bring somebody else down with you.' "If we're all pushing in the same direction and we're supportive, positive, it's going to be good baseball and good vibes. And I think that's been the most important thing. And I've had good guys around me to keep me up as well. I can't do it by myself. So it's been definitely a journey. Not how you draw it up, but I think something good's going to come at the end of the year." Kwan is doing his best to ensure as much, finishing the first half strong and picking it right back up after the All-Star break. He had reached base in 22 of his last 24 games through Wednesday, batting .368 (28-for-76) with a .922 OPS. His .448 on-base percentage led the American League over the span. "If it's not on the barrel, it's a foul ball right now or a good take. So, it's really a pleasure to watch," Bazzana said of Kwan's plate appearances. "Kwany's back. He needs to stay right where he is, nothing different," Vogt said. That shouldn't be a problem for Kwan. A LITTLE HELP HERE If the Guardians add at the trade deadline, it will likely be on the offensive front, ideally a right-handed bat for their lefty-dominated lineup. "I think our focus would be is if we can improve the offense somehow, that's certainly a way, and we'll look to do it," team president Chris Antonetti said. "It could be left-handed (hitter), could be right-handed. In an ideal world, it'd probably be good to have more balance to the lineup, but there are a lot of teams that are probably looking to try to accomplish the same thing." The new wild card format allowing more teams into the postseason picture has changed the deadline landscape, according to Antonetti. "There's obviously the normal handful of teams that may be more focused on the future and those conversations continue to happen," he said. "But there's also increased dialogue among teams that might be contending to try to match up on possible needs for needs or depth for depth or things like that. So, I'm not sure it's dissimilar than the last couple years, but it is different than it was prior to the format change." GOOD JOB, GUYS Jose Ramirez was proud of his teammates' effort in his absence. The Guardians broke even at 15-15 without Ramirez in the lineup for five weeks. "I think the guys played really well," Ramirez said through an interpreter. "They took care of the details, and we just have to continue taking care of the little things and get good results." NEXT UP Cleveland begins a three-game series at Tampa Bay tonight at 7:10. LHP Joey Cantillo (8-5, 3.74 ERA) opens the set, opposing LHP Shane McClanahan (8-6, 3.16), while RHP Tanner Bibee (4-9, 3.86) goes for the Guardians on Saturday (6:10 p.m.). LHP Parker Messick (8-5, 2.68) starts for Cleveland in the series finale Sunday (12:15 p.m.), while the Rays counter with RHP Drew Rasmussen (8-5, 3.28). contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.