Yesterday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins looks like an inflection point for the Cleveland Guardians’ leadoff hitter, Steven Kwan.
Cleveland, OH
Guardians Set Off Alarm Bells for Kwan Yesterday
In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Guardians trailing 5-3, David Fry and Brayan Rocchio singled to leadoff an inning against right-handed reliever Luis Garcia. For his career, Garcia has been a very serviceable relief pitcher with a 4.20 ERA. However, he is 39 years old and, as of today, has an ERA of 10.50 and an FIP of 6.12. So, to be clear, while potentially a competent middle reliever, not someone that an all-star hitter hitting leadoff should feel anything less than fully confident to get a hit or a walk.
Enter Steven Kwan. As of today, he has a 67 wRC+. He is having an awful year, no doubt. But, it’s May and he has a career wRC+ of 109. He also has a career 117 wRC+ vs. RHP. He also has a 213 wRC+ for his career in 3-1 counts. And, guess what? Steven Kwan worked a 3-1 count.
NOW enter Tony Arnerich, acting manager of the Guardians yesterday as Stephen Vogt dealt with what I hope is simply a nasty cold (he sounded TERRIBLE in interviews on Saturday). Arnerich put the sacrifice bunt sign on for Steven Kwan. He clarified this was the case after the game, as reported by Cade Cracas of Sports Illustrated on Twitter:
Are you curious how often a team’s leadoff hitter has been asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt in a 3-1 count with his team down 2 runs late in the game and at least one runner in scoring position? Well, I can tell you that from 2023 until yesterday, it did not happen one time. Let’s look further back… oh, ok, in the past decade prior to yesterday, it happened exactly ONE time… for the Chicago Cubs in 2022.
Here’s the thing… I don’t even know that having Kwan bunt was 100% the wrong call. I mean, aside from the fact that I am fundamentally opposed to sacrifice bunts except in situations where one run wins the game and the sacrifice bunt is with no outs to get a runner to third by an offensively-challenged hitter who knows how to execute a bunt, I think I understand why Arnerich decided his best hope was sacrificing Kwan’s chances for a hit and punting things to Chase DeLauter and Jose Ramirez. It’s because Arnerich recognizes that Kwan is nowhere near a 109 wRC+ or 117 wRC+ hitter as he currently exists.
We can’t say “Oh, Arnerich is new to the team, he doesn’t know about good Kwan.” Arnerich has to know these players inside and out, their present and their past and projected future. He knows Kwan has traditionally handled RBI opportunities well and has been very effective in 3-1 counts. If he didn’t know that, well, to be honest, he should be fired for lack of preparation. But, I think he did know that. I think he made the very pragmatic assessment that Kwan was more likely to provide a 67 wRC+ output in that situation which would make advancing the runners to get to actual good hitters a much riskier proposition.
Last night needs to be the flare fired off by the Guardians’ bench coach to the team to say “Hey, it’s time to move Steven Kwan from the leadoff spot.” It’s time to platoon Kwan vs. LHP. It’s time to let Kwan have more room to breath to figure out if he can get back to the hitter he was before June 2025. From June 2025 until now, Kwan has a 77 wRC+. He’s still walking at a good rate and striking out at a low rate. He’s just simply not hitting the ball well at all with a 15.6% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 85 mph, and a 1.4% barrel rate. He is Austin Hedges (well, prior to this season) who strikes out a lot less. And, yes, that is the kind of player you can justify asking to sacrifice bunt to give your actual good hitters a chance to win you the game, even though a sacrifice bunt down two STILL seems insane.
After last night, the Guardians cannot have it both ways. Either Kwan is a leadoff hitter and should be trusted to figure it out and HIT. OR, he is what Arnerich told us last night… a bottom of the order hitter who should only be looking to flip the order over to hitters who can actually imapct the baseball. I know it’s a hard conversation and I know Kwan is a selfless player who volunteered to switch to centerfield to help the team, even having won four consecutive gold gloves in his previous position. You hate showing any lack of confidence in him, Vogter. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling a struggling veteran, “We are taking some pressure off you and batting you 7th for a while. We’d love to have you back in the leadoff spot as soon as possible. We are going to give you more days off to try to fix what’s wrong and work with our supposedly competent hitting staff. We believe in you and this is a chance to take a deep breath and get back to being you.”
Will moving Steven Kwan down in the order solve the Guardians’ hitting issues? Of course not. But, it’s a simple, straight-forward way to try to help solve KWAN’S hitting issues, who remains a key to getting this offense humming. I would immediately install Travis Bazzana as the leadoff hitter and let him, DeLauter and Ramirez do their absolute best to drive pitchers insane for three batters for a while. But, after the message your bench coach sent last night, you simply cannot continue to bat Kwan leadoff and hope things magically change.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The body of a missing boy in Lake Erie was found Sunday afternoon, according to the Cleveland Fire Department.
Multiple agencies searched Lake Erie Saturday night and continued searching Sunday morning for a young boy who was reported in the water near the East 55th Street Marina.
The search for the boy had turned into a recovery mission before Metroparks divers discovered the body, Cleveland Fire Chief Mike Norman said.
Cleveland Fire, Metroparks and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources responded to the call, which came in just before 9 p.m. Saturday.
Search efforts
Cleveland Fire said crews responded to a report of a child in the water. A fire boat made multiple passes over the area, shining a light into the water. Two divers were also sent into the lake to search for the child. No body was found.
A helicopter was also spotted flying over the water near the bank, searching with a spotlight.
The Cleveland Fire Department said at 10:15 p.m. Saturday that its crew in the lake would be ending their search soon.
Cleveland fire crews said Sunday that they resumed the search for the missing boy before turning operations over to a recovery mission.
Chief Norman said Metroparks divers are transporting the body and receiving assistance from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
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ADA I. TAYLOR
OBITUARY
(nee Everhardt), of Middleburg Heights, formerly of Avon Lake, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 3, 2026 at Royal Oak Hospice after a short illness. Ada was born December 30, 1947 in Philadelphia, PA. Beloved wife of the late Terry R. Taylor (2012); loving mother of Elliot E. Taylor; loving ‘pet mom’ of Molly and Kitty; daughter of the late Pendleton B. and Inez (nee Chestnut) Everhardt; sister of the late Joyce Everhardt. Ada was a well-known and respected Real Estate Agent/Broker for 51 years in the Greater Cleveland area. 39 of those years were spent at Howard Hanna. She graduated from West Tech High School and then earned her Bachelor’s degree in education from BGSU before going full time in Real Estate. Ada was an Honors English, History and Journalism teacher at Lorain High School from 1971 ‘ 1975. Also, for a short time in the 80’s she was a lobbyist in Washington, DC for independent business owners. Ada is survived by her son Elliott E. Taylor and cousins David Dieball (Marilyn), Allan Dieball Benjamin Dieball and Donna Bednar (Michael). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to City Dogs Cleveland, 9203 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102. A private Graveside Service will be held at St. Joseph/Elmhurst Cemetery in Avon. Arrangements made by Ripepi Funeral Home (440)888-0800
PAUL ANTHONY FORTUNATO
OBITUARY
age 85, beloved husband for 64 years of Gayle (nee Rocco); loving and proud father of Paul Jr. (wife Sarah), Gregory (wife Kimberly), and Jeffrey (wife Melissa); devoted Papa of Michelle, Paul III, Julia, Joseph, Taylor, Charis, Lily, Charlotte, Sophia, and Layla; cherished son of the late Joseph and Michelina (nee Giurbino) Fortunato; brother of Ross and the late Frank and Joseph Fortunato; treasured brother-in-law of Kenneth Rocco; dear uncle, great-uncle, godfather, friend, and role model to many; preceded in death by his canine companions, Pepper and Casper. Paul was born on January 6, 1941, in Cleveland, Ohio. Raised in the Catholic faith, Paul was a parishioner of St. Gabriel Church for more than 50 years. He grew up near East 110th Street and Woodland Avenue and was a 1960 graduate of John Adams High School. Following his graduation, and like each of his three brothers, he served in the U.S Navy, attaining the rank of Hospital Corpsman Third Class. As a youth in the 1950s, he worked at the neighborhood grocery store and as a paperboy delivering The Cleveland Press. As a young husband in the 1960s, he began a career of more than 30 years with The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. During his career, Paul worked in a downtown Cleveland laboratory, where he tested and calibrated instruments; at the Eastlake Power Plant; and ultimately at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, where he served as a Contract Administrator. Outside of work, Paul found joy in building dollhouses and rocking horses for his grandchildren and in crafting furniture for his family. Most importantly, Paul’s proudest accomplishment was being a loving and devoted husband, and a loving and proud Dad and Papa to his three sons and ten grandchildren. Proud of his Sicilian and Italian roots, he was a long-time member of the Americans of Italian Heritage. In addition, although not a formal club, his neighborhood group of friends was a central part of his social life, and you could find Paul, without fail, with the same crew at Panera’s every Tuesday and Saturday morning. Paul’s calling card was his work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, honesty, integrity, and unwavering loyalty to family and friends. Without question, the center of his life and his greatest joy was his family, especially the love of his life, Gayle. These qualities defined the man he was, the way he lived, and the legacy he leaves for all who knew and loved him. Paul will be dearly missed by many. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in memory of Paul to the Lake County Humane Society. Family and friends are requested to meet for the Mass of Christian Burial Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at St. Gabriel Catholic Church 9925 Johnnycake Ridge Rd, Concord, OH 44077 at 11 AM. Cremation following by DeJohn Crematory. Private Burial Thursday, July 23, 2026, at All Souls Cemetery. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Paul at THE DeJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF WILLOUGHBY HILLS, 28890 CHARDON ROAD (between Bishop Rd. and Rt. 91) TUESDAY, July 21, 2026, 3-6 PM. Online obituary, guestbook, & order flowers at www.DeJohnCares.com
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