Guardians to experiment with Gold Glove-winning left fielder Steven Kwan in center field

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Cleveland Guardians center fielders performed 25 percent worse at the plate than any other team’s center fielders in 2025.

One possible way to remedy that? Steven Kwan, a two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner at left field, might find a new home in center.

The Guardians will experiment with Kwan in center on occasion this spring. Nothing is definitive; they aren’t anointing him the everyday center fielder. However, when Kwan met with Cleveland’s decision-makers at the start of camp, they discussed whether a switch would be beneficial for the club.

“It was just, ‘Hey, I know we’re dealing with a lot of decisions in the outfield,’” Kwan said. “‘If me being in center makes things easier for other guys to find some spots, I’m all in.’”

What does it mean for Kwan and his fellow Guardians outfielders? Let’s dive into the potential ramifications.

Cleveland’s center fielders were MLB’s worst at the plate in 2025

The Guardians have had a different Opening Day right fielder each of the last 14 seasons, and with Jhonkensy Noel seemingly bound to be a Norfolk Tide, that number should swell to 15.

“I was one of those,” Kwan said, referencing his major-league debut in right field on Opening Day in 2022.

Yet, it’s center field that has been the club’s most glaring black hole.

Guardians center fielders produced a .199/.256/.318 slash line last season. They logged a 60 wRC+ (meaning they rated 40% below league-average on offense). It marked the fourth time in the last six years in which their center fielders ranked among the bottom three in the league in wRC+. Cleveland’s center fielders have not posted an above-average wRC+ since 2016, when Tyler Naquin submitted a stellar rookie season.

Five Guardians started a game in center field last season: Angel Martínez, Lane Thomas, Nolan Jones, Daniel Schneemann and Petey Halpin. Martínez’s 87 starts led the team.

In 2024, nine Guardians started a game in center field: Martínez, Thomas, Schneemann, Tyler Freeman, Will Brennan, Ramón Laureano, Gabriel Arias, Estevan Florial and Myles Straw. Freeman’s 82 starts led the team.

Kwan has been rated one of the club’s better hitters in his four seasons in the big leagues. The move would tether one of the few everyday hitters on the roster to a position in which they’ve had little stability.

“We’re gonna give it some looks this spring and see if that’s what our best outfield looks like,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “He’s wanting and willing to do it, so we’re gonna do it.”

Kwan has center field experience

This is an organization that has thrown infielders out to center field in recent years (Martínez, Freeman, Schneemann, Arias, Amed Rosario, Jason Kipnis). Kwan at least came through the system as a center fielder.

“I played in the minors. I played in college,” Kwan said. “It’s gonna take some time to get used to, but I was confident then, and I feel like I can be confident now.”

Kwan has played 31 innings in center in the majors, 30 in 2022 and one inning last season, the 10th inning of a win in Houston on July 8, when the Guardians had burned through their bench.

Kwan initially played right field in the majors because he was replacing Josh Naylor, who was recovering from leg surgery. He ultimately shifted to left field because the defensively adept Myles Straw patrolled center.

There’s no better time for a trial period than spring training. Kwan said he’d be more conservative with his route running if he were switching during a season because pitchers’ stat lines (not to mention wins and losses) would be at stake. In Arizona, he can make mistakes without consequence.

“In left field, you can take a good break and then throttle down to readjust if your read 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 I just have to go and adjust on the fly. But if there’s any kind of hesitation, those are where you get exposed.”

The team’s other options for center include Jones, Martínez, Chase DeLauter and Stuart Fairchild. DeLauter hadn’t played center in a year — and hadn’t played in a game in three months — when the Guardians stuck him there in the playoffs. If Kwan shifts to center, it could open up more paths to playing time for not only Jones, DeLauter and George Valera, but also CJ Kayfus and Juan Brito.

Center field, with more ground to cover — and even a longer jog from the dugout, Kwan pointed out — carries more physical burden than a corner spot. That matters to Kwan and DeLauter. Kwan has a history of hamstring trouble, and DeLauter has a track record of foot injuries, among other maladies.

What does this mean for Kwan’s future?

If Kwan can prove capable in center field, that should make him more attractive on the trade front. The Guardians fielded calls on him ahead of the deadline last July, but decided to keep him. Those calls will resume this summer if the Guardians aren’t contending.

He’s under team control for two more seasons before he can enter free agency. He has twice been rated league-average at the plate and twice rated as well above league-average. That sort of offensive floor, plus functional defense in center, could make him a more coveted free agent after the 2027 season.

“It’s just a cool way of not allowing myself to get complacent in left field,” he said. “This is a new challenge, something I can be really intentional with.”

He did, however, give thought to whether he can maintain his Gold Glove status at a more premium position. Kwan’s streak of four Gold Gloves is the third-longest in history to begin a career, behind Nolan Arenado and Ichiro (both 10 straight), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“That’s a factor in there,” he said. “But at the same time, that’s something I can pour more energy into. … It’s gonna be a lot harder. There are some great athletes in center field. So if I want to keep that going, I have to play my ‘A’ game, and if not, we have lessons to learn.”