Last year's Yermín Mercedes' early season performance impressed the baseball world, the afterglow has not yet dissipated, and the start of the new season has aroused expectations for "supernovae". The god of baseball didn't disappoint us, and an Asian-American guy from California started his career with a historical record to amaze major leagues. He's Steven Kwan, an outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians.
In the first four games of his Major League career, Kwan hit six first-base runs, two second-base runs, and one third-base, with five additional dropouts, for a total of 15 bases (including one touch ball). At least in the modern baseball era (1901-present), no player has played more bases than in the first four games of their careers.
To be able to set a historical record, Guan must have his own unique features, and his strength is the judgment of the ball. In the first four games of his career, the opposing pitcher threw a total of 82 goals to Guan, and he played the bat 26 times, not once of which he was empty. As you can imagine, his three-strike rate is very low. In fact, since the AAA match on September 26 last year, Guan has not been hit three times. Guan's record was held until April 13, when the Reds' Nick Lodolo gave Guan the first triple of his major league career. In addition, Guan did not empty the 116 balls faced in the major leagues, and it was not until the 117th ball that he ended the incredible record with the arrest of the stick. He also became the sixth player since 1901 to have a single 5-hit performance in the first three games of his career.
Guan swung the bat 39 times in five games against the pitch, not a single swing
The climax of Guan's wonderful performance came in the finale of the series between the Guardians and the Royals. In the bottom half of the seventh inning, Guan Guan, who was the left outfielder, dropped the ball while defending, and the Guardians' lead narrowed to one run. However, in the first half of the next eight innings, He hit a clear three-base homer when the base was full, and he also celebrated passionately after standing on third base. Guardians coach Terry Francona commented: "The opponent has prepared a strategy when facing the level, changing from speedball to throwing a variable speed ball at him. But Off's playing table is very exciting. Rival Real coach Mike Matheny also didn't hesitate to praise: "Guan rarely waved, was good at finding solid opportunities, extremely difficult to get three strikes, and that's exactly what he did to us in this series." ”
Although the sample is still small, Guan's excellent talent has begun to show. In addition to the selection of the ball, the speed of Guan gives him the ability to impact long hits, and the mistakes after the completion of the work also reflect his big heart. In 77 games in minor league 3A and 2A, he scored .328/.407/.527 strikeouts, with 12 home runs. Kwan's hand-eye coordination ability is very strong, combined with streamlined left-hand swing action and strict home run discipline, which has created his wonderful strike skills. In 2021, Guan added obvious kicking moves to the blow, strengthening the strength of the blow while making great progress in his home run level. Guan's speed provides a guarantee for stealing and moving, while shoulder strength is relatively his weakness.
Note: Plate discipline refers to the fact that the batter will not swing the ball off the good ball belt, and is usually used as one of the indicators to judge the batsman's ability to choose the ball.
In 2021, in the small league, the off-wave rate is only 2.6%, which is far ahead in the league. When asked about his tendency not to be hit by three vibrations, Guan Zeng said: "When I was a child, I wanted to cry every time I was hit by three vibrations, and it was precisely because I didn't want to cry, so I had to try not to be hit by three vibrations. Born in California and a graduate of Oregon State University, Kwan's favorite players growing up were Ichiro Suzuki and Dave Roberts, his father was Chinese and his mother was Japanese, and Guan also mentioned in interviews that he wanted to be a role model for Asian athletes. As the players selected by the Guardians in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, it is these many idols and beliefs that must support the continuous progress of baseball.
At the beginning of the season, which began hastily after the shrinking spring training, perhaps the fans have not yet entered the state, but Guan's performance is like a lightning bolt, igniting the passion of spring. What may shine may be a meteor that flashes by, but it may also be a flame that is still emerging. I hope that Guan can maintain a good feel, and I also hope that there will be more exciting surprises this season. What other "super newcomers" have you noticed? Welcome to discuss with us in the comments section!