Bell Newsletter: Kwan's fan club growing

Hello and welcome to the Guardians Newsletter! Just a reminder: I’m Mandy Bell and this is my fourth year covering Cleveland for MLB.com. I’m excited to bring all things Guardians directly to your inbox all year. Thanks for following along!

KWAN MAKING FANS ON THE FIELD, IN THE CLUBHOUSE

Ernie Clement sat at his locker after Steven Kwan’s 5-for-5 game in Kansas City. He had just put his phone down after changing his Twitter profile picture to a photo of Kwan’s face.

I yelled over to him to say I thought the decision was comical, and he responded, “That’s my favorite player!”

Teammate Sam Hentges had just come around the corner and asked who we were talking about.  

“Number 3-8,” Clement said. “Steven Kwan. Ever heard of him?”

As recently as a week ago, the baseball world hadn’t heard of him. Now he’s one of the most popular topics across the game. Kwan’s unbelievably patient approach and unmatched bat-to-ball skills grabbed the MLB spotlight during the first few days of his big league career, as he saw 116 pitches before whiffing (and even his “whiff” still made contact as a foul tip, although that’s considered a swing and miss). A few pitches later, he struck out for the first time since Sept. 26, 2021, with Triple-A Columbus — this is all including Spring Training.

What Kwan has done has captivated baseball audiences everywhere, especially a Cleveland fan base that didn’t have high expectations for compelling storylines such as this heading into the season. Yet Kwan took that challenge into his own hands, proving that he can not only help this lineup, but can also be a spark plug and an essential piece of the roster.

What’s been even more transfixing about this historic start to his career is the way the 24-year-old outfielder has handled each step of this process. He noted that the hardest part about the transition to the big leagues has been handling the media and the attention. But his maturity shines in each interview. He credits his parents for his success, rarely allowing himself to be the focal point and fully displaying his knowledge of how to prioritize his mental health.

For anyone still wondering what will happen when outfielder and first baseman Josh Naylor comes back from the injured list, I’m going to go out on a limb and say Kwan isn’t going to be sent down to Columbus.

HANKS, DOBY JR. HEADLINE HOME OPENER

Nothing like kicking off the Guardians era with one of the biggest actors taking center stage. Tom Hanks, who narrated the video announcing the club’s name change last July, is set to throw out tonight’s ceremonial first pitch. What’s this legendary actor’s tie to northeast Ohio, you may ask? Hanks began his acting career with the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland in the 1970s.

“I’ve had Guardians fever since ‘77, when I caught my first game in Section 19 of Cleveland’s Lakefront Municipal Stadium,” Hanks said. “I’m honored to return to Cleveland and Progressive Field for the first home game of the Cleveland Guardians era.”

Hanks will toe the rubber in front of a sellout crowd — the 29th consecutive Opening Day full house at Progressive Field (since the ballpark opened in ‘94). And in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, the Guardians will have Larry Doby Jr., son of the man who broke the color barrier in the American League shortly after Robinson did so in the National League, catch the first pitch.  

Cal Quantrill and Austin Hedges, the Guardians’ “best bromance.”

IN THE NEWS

Some Guardians stories from the past week, in case you’ve missed them:

TRIVIA

Which three numbers did Rocky Colavito wear for Cleveland?

• A. 7, 14, 21
• B. 6, 21, 38
• C. 9, 20, 38
• D. 6, 8, 21

GETTING BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM A FRIEND

Rarely do we think about the impact that a big leaguer spending a day with up-and-coming prospects can make. A rehab start is always exciting, as it allows local fans to see their favorite Major League players in a more intimate setting. But not only do spectators benefit from it, the Minor Leaguers do as well.

Peyton Battenfield, the Guardians’ No. 20 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, experienced that when Aaron Civale was sent on a rehab assignment to Double-A Akron last year. Battenfield’s heater touches 97 mph, and it pairs well with his upper-70s curveball and a low-80s changeup with fade. And now he’s added the slider and the cutter to his repertoire — just like Civale.

Prior to joining Cleveland’s organization last July, Battenfield had been throwing a cutter but not a slider. When he got to Akron, he realized the data was showing that the cutter was being hit much harder than he wanted it to, so he decided to throw a slider instead. But thanks to some pointers from Civale, Battenfield was determined to add both offerings to his arsenal over the winter.

“It’s a little bit different than seeing them in pro baseball because when they’re doing rehab starts, they’re obviously not at their best,” Battenfield said. “They’re working back to get to their best. But to see how they work and what their focuses are in bullpens and seeing a guy throw similar pitches, it’s easier to go pick their brains a little bit.”

Just a few moments of comparing grips and asking for tips on how to best use both a slider and a cutter in his arsenal has already started to pay off. Although he’s only had a limited sample size, Battenfield has a much better understanding of when to turn to these offerings and which locations to target. And after what was already an impressive showing of a 3.28 ERA in seven starts with Akron after getting shipped to Cleveland at last year’s Trade Deadline, Battenfield is hoping things will be even better in 2022 — thanks to a few big league friends.

“Whenever Roberto Pérez came down and caught a little bit [on a rehab assignment],” Battenfield said, “I was trying to pick his brain on the guys that are successful that he’s caught — ‘What do they do differently than the 100 other guys he’s caught that don’t make it? What sets the guys that make it apart from the guys that don’t make it?’ I just think any time those guys come down and are willing to talk to you, it helps us out a ton.”

TRIVIA ANSWER

B. 6, 21 and 38. Colavito wore No. 38 from 1955-57 before switching to No. 6 for ’58 and ’59. When he returned to Cleveland for ’65-67 seasons, he sported No. 21.

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