CLEVELAND, Ohio — During Sunday’s Guardians victory over Chicago, Steven Kwan added another masterpiece to his defensive portfolio with a face-planting catch against the left field wall that robbed Will Robertson of extra bases and saved at least one run. It was just the latest example of why the Cleveland outfielder seems destined for his fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award.
“That was a great play by Kwan. We’ve seen him do that time and time again with diving plays on the warning track and no regard for his body,” Paul Hoynes remarked on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “He kissed the left field wall … just a great, great catch and another inning-ending play.”
While the metrics clearly favor Kwan — he leads in virtually every defensive category for left fielders — his excellence extends far beyond what can be quantified. His throwing arm, once considered merely adequate, has evolved into a weapon that affects how opponents approach the game.
“If he doesn’t win the Gold Glove, there’s something wrong with the, with the voting process,” Hoynes stated definitively. “This is his fourth year and his defense hasn’t dropped off. It’s gotten better, especially his throwing.”
More Guardians coverage
Brayan Rocchio channels Omar Vizquel with season-defining defensive gem
Cleveland heads to Detroit with season on the brink: Guardians breakfast today
The showstopper: Brayan Rocchio’s diving stop and throw saves Guardians in wild 9th inning
What truly separates Kwan from his peers is his mastery of the nuances that casual fans might miss. He’s developed an uncanny ability to play caroms off the outfield wall, positioning himself perfectly to limit opponents from taking extra bases.
“He plays that left field wall at Progressive Field like a Stradivarius,” Hoynes observed. “He knows the bounces, he knows how the ball is coming off. He’ll deke runners and turn around, field the ball barehanded and in one motion throw to second base or throw to third base and really put the stops to the running game.”
This combination of technical skill and baseball IQ has transformed Kwan into something rarely seen — a left fielder who controls the running game like an elite shortstop. His deceptive movements freeze runners who can’t tell whether he’s about to make a catch or play a carom, often costing them precious seconds that prevent extra bases.
The defensive excellence displayed by Kwan and teammates like Bryan Rocchio isn’t just for highlight reels — it’s fueling Cleveland’s improbable playoff push.
“If this team is going to get to where they want to be in terms of the wild card, in terms of the postseason, they’re going to need to keep making defensive plays like that,” Joe Noga emphasized. “The Guardians defense during this, this recent hot stretch has been really outstanding.”
For a team that has won 10 of their last 12 games and sits just 2 1/2 games out of a wild card spot with 13 games remaining, elite defense has become their identity and perhaps their path to October baseball.
When the Gold Glove finalists are announced, Kwan’s name will certainly be among them. And based on both the metrics and the eye test, anything less than a fourth consecutive award would indeed suggest something is wrong with the voting process.
Want to hear more about Kwan’s defensive brilliance and the Guardians’ playoff chase? Check out the full Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast where Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes break down the team’s remarkable defensive performances and what they mean for Cleveland’s postseason hopes.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, the Guardians sweep the White Sox on Sunday. They won three straight games against them at Progressive Field. A 5 and 1 homestand against the Royals and White Sox capped off by just one of the. The most exciting plays we’ve seen in a while to end a game. Brian Rocchio with a diving stop up the middle backhand gets up and fires the ball to first base to get Andrew Benintendi with the game tying run at third and two outs in the ninth inning. Cade Smith got the save in that game but Brian Rocchio really saved the day on that play when, when things weren’t going right there in the ninth inning. A fly ball that got lost in the sun in right field and resulted in, you know, the potential game tying run being 90ft away. Rocchio just comes out of nowhere with one of the best defensive plays we’ve seen based on the timing of it in a long time. Would you. What’d you like about the, the, the way that game ended on Sunday?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah Joe, I thought as soon as Ben Attendee the ball left Ben attendees bad it was a tie game. But Rocchio, geez, what, what, what range and just getting to the ball was a good play, Joe. But you know, bouncing back up and throwing from his knees or you know that twisting throw to first base. It was right online to get Ben Attendee who was. Who’s not slow by a foot to end the game. That was, that was a great play. That’s probably the play of the season for the Guardians has to be and just reminded me a lot of Omar Vizquel. Vizquel had the ability not only to make great stops but to get back on his feet and make a quick throw to first base. And that’s what Rocchio showed me yesterday. And you put it well in your game story, Joe. That was a walk off defensive win defensive play. We’ve seen walk off hits from the Guardians but we haven’t seen a walk off defensive play. And that, that was a perfect, perfect description of that.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you know for a guy Rocchio who he’s only been playing second base in the major leagues since, since July, since Gabriel Arias came back. I like your comparison to Omar Vizquel there. The thing that we would always say about Omar was he was cat like his, his, his ability to jump up and stay on his feet and, and, and right himself. He didn’t necessarily have the strongest arm at shortstop when, when he Would. When he was on his streak of winning, what, 11 straight Gold Gloves for Cleveland at that position. But, you know, he always seemed to. To have that timing in that sense, to know when the ball needed to be there. Rocchio just. The stop was great and. And getting up and throwing was great. I just don’t understand how he got so much on that throw from the angle with which he was throwing. It was almost like a sidearm, underarm scoop that he. That he fired it with. And he got Ben Attendee by plenty. Ben Attendee was. Was hauling down the line because he knew if he hit that bag, then the tying run scores and he extends the game just. Stephen Vogt, after the. After the game said he called it the best defensive play he’s ever seen, which I think is a bit much, but, you know, given the time and the circumstance, yeah, I gotta agree with him. That was pretty outstanding. He said the. The timing, the internal clock that goes off for a middle infielder like that, and praised Rocchio for, you know, the. The work that he puts in and the repetitions that he goes through to be able to make a play that basically saved the game for Cleveland. You gotta. You just gotta tip your cap if you’re. If you’re the White Sox at that point.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, all infielders have that. That inner clock, Joe, that tells them when they’ve gotta throw it. But I like what Rocco said. You know, you can’t. You don’t practice that play, dream about that play. You know, you. You go to bed wishing you can make that play, because you just. There’s no way you can practice that play. That’s just like, totally. You know, that’s a baseball play. That’s an instinct play. You know, getting to the ball is one thing, but, you know, bouncing up and making the throw and getting the out, you know, as the. You know, as the game. The game winning out. I mean, that. That just that, you know, that. That. That was. That was so beautiful. It was a beautiful baseball play. And it was. You know, I jumped out of my seat when I was watching at home. I’m tv. I couldn’t believe he made that play.
Joe Noga: Yeah, you can. You can take the. The shortstop out of his position and put him at second base, but he’s. He’s always a shortstop. You know, we asked him after the game, you know, was that, you know, your favorite play you’ve ever made? And he. He paused for a second. He said, yeah, it’s my favorite play I’ve ever made at second base. But I’ve got a few at shortstop that I liked a little more. You know, he’s always thinking like a shortstop, which is, you know, good, good to hear as well. Kind of, kind of interesting. Earlier in the game, Stephen Kwan also took away extra bases. It was in the second inning. It was a drive to left field by Will Robertson off a Slate Saccony pitch. Colson Montgomery was on the bases and probably would have scored if the ball would have gotten over Quan’s head. But Quon made it all the way back to the wall, made the catch, went up against the wall, sort of flattened his face up against the wall, hit the deck and came up with it. And again, just if this team is going to get to where they want to be in terms of the wild card, in terms of the postseason, they’re going to need to keep making defensive plays like that. The Guardians defense during this, this recent hot stretch has been really outstanding.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was a great play by Quan. We’ve seen him do that time and time again with, you know, diving plays on a warning track, you know, no regard for his body. And that was a face plant. You’re right, Joe. He, he kissed the left field wall, Bo. I’m glad he’s okay. I hope his jaw is okay. But just a great, great catch and another, you know, another ending inning, ending plays and a run saving play. I know Cecconi had to love that play.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and he was, he was outstanding after the game. Slade Cecconi, you know, just talking about pitching and defense. He said, he said pitching is defense. His job is to prevent runs and, and when the guys are out there making plays like that behind him, he’s able to be more aggressive in the strike zone and, and go knowing that, you know, the ball’s not going to touch the dirt. You know, these, these guys are going to make the plays that they need to make behind him. I just want to touch on Quan one more time. You know, he leads pretty much every, you know, quantifiable defensive metric for a left fielder definitely in the American League, probably in all of baseball. You know, he, we’ve seen him, his, his reputation with his throwing this year. Even though the last couple of chances he’s had to throw guys out, he’s, he’s thrown a little crazy, but you know, the arm strength and the arm accuracy is, is, is there and it’s as, as good as it’s been in any of his four years. Is, is he a lock this year for a fourth consecutive Gold Glove?
Paul Hoynes: So I think if if he doesn’t win the Gold Glove, you know, there’s something wrong with the, with the voting process. The, you know, everyone has seen this guy play for three straight years. This is his fourth year and his defense hasn’t dropped off. Joe, I think it’s gotten better, especially his throwing. You know, he has had a few inaccurate throws the last few games here last week or so, but most of the time I think his throwing has become more and more accurate. So yeah, he’s, he’s got to win the Gold Glove, I would think. Joe, at least he’s the odds on favorite.
Joe Noga: And one of the things about that, when you got three Gold Gloves in your pocket and when you’re leading in arm assists in terms of throwing assists from the outfield, the reputation starts to grow and teams run less on you when there are opportunities to try and take a base. We’ve seen him hold runners at first base on balls that have been even hit over his head into the outfield just because of the deadly accuracy of his throwing and the quick release and the positioning. And we’ve talked to him on several occasions about the footwork that goes into it and, and all that. These guys, and Stephen Vogt is fond of saying, you know, these guys work hard. You can tell that Stephen Kwan goes out there and, you know, works on balls going over the wall. I think over the weekend I saw him on at least one ball that got hit off the wall. He’s gotten really good at decoying as well, that, you know, he holds runners so that they don’t know whether he’s going to catch the ball. And when it hits off the wall behind him, it’s already too late for them to advance, so. Or advance to third base, take an extra base off of them. A lot of these things go into it. A lot of credit goes to J.T. Maguire, the, the outfield coach who really puts the, the outfielders through the paces at the start of every series. But you know, Stephen Kwan in, in my mind, like you said, if, if Quan doesn’t win the Gold Glove in the American League for a fourth consecutive year, I think you’ve, you’ve really got to look at the voting process.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And Joe, the one thing he does that I, I’ve been so impressed with is he plays that left field wall at Progressive Field. He plays it like a Stradivarius. I mean, he knows the bounces, he knows how the ball is coming off. And like you said, he’ll, you know, deke runners and turn around, field the ball barehanded and in one motion, you know, throw to second base or throw to third base and really, you know, put the stops to the running game. I mean, it’s like having a shortstop playing left field where you, you control the running game. I mean, it’s unbelievable to watch him play and to watch him work on the wall, you know, watch him in at Fenway Park. He’s done the same thing there with the Monster. Just, it’s, it’s a pleasure to watch him play. A pleasure to watch him play left field and defense and just to know the work that goes into it and just the talent it takes to do what he does day in and day out.
Joe Noga: All right, well, we’ve talked about defense at length here, but we really have to talk about pitching because over this homestand and really over their last maybe, maybe 10 games, this guardian’s pitching staff, this guardian’s rotation, they’ve, they’ve been using a six man rotation. And when they decided to go to that at the beginning of this stretch of 17 games in 17 days that they just completed, you know, it was almost out of necessity that they had to do it because of the ages of some of these guys in the rotation and the relative inexperience. But boy, this, this strategy has worked out for Stephen Vogt and Carl Willis in the pitching coaching group there. They’ve come through this stretch in 17 games in 17 days at 12 and 5. And along the way, particularly on this homestand, they’ve gotten what a near complete game out of Joey Cantillo. They got a near no hitter out of Slade Cecconi the opener on the last Tuesday and Tanner Bibee, probably the best performance out of all of them. A complete game two hit shutout against the White Sox in the series opener on Friday. This rotation has been really the, one of the most pleasant surprises and the biggest development I, I would say of the second half of this season is the just this rotation finding their footing and really taking off.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, it’s really been impressive. When they went to the six man rotation, I was wondering how it was going to work, you know, because you get extra day, an extra day rest each starter, but you’re also kind of, you know, you’re pitching on what, five days rest instead of four. So I was wondering how people would handle that. And it’s been what a smooth transition has been showing. You know, I, I don’t know now. They had the off day, they have the off day today. I don’t know if they’re Going to reorganize the rotation. But just they, they had great, one great start after another and you could kind of feel the momentum of it. You know, one guy goes out and pitches well, the next guy does the same. It’s, it’s really kind of, you know, the competition has driven it. So it’s, it’s, it’s been really fun to watch.
Joe Noga: Slade Cecconi after his game on Sunday, reflecting back over the, the six games of the homestand. He thought, he said it was, it was funny, he took a no hitter into the eighth inning, gave up the no hitter on the first batter of the eighth inning. But in his start on Tuesday, I’m sorry, on Monday, took a no hitter into the eighth inning. And he looks at us, he goes, you know, I probably had the third best start of the week out of that rotation. And that, and that’s true because Joey Cantillo came in, in behind him at and pitched into the ninth. And Tanner Bybee then goes out and pitches the first complete game shutout for Cleveland at home since what, 2019. Jane Bieber had that in 2019. I think the last time a Cleveland pitcher had a complete game shutout was Zach Plesac back in 2019. It’s been six years since a complete game shutout had been thrown by a Cleveland pitcher. Is that crazy to think for you?
Paul Hoynes: It is crazy in a way, Joe, but in a way, the way baseball has changed, the way they use the starting pitching now, it makes a lot of sense too. But you know, this is the first time that, that I can remember where the coaching staff has made a point of letting their, of getting more and more out of their starting pitches, of really kind of stretching them out, you know, carefully. Yes, I of, you know, doing it carefully. But you know, they are encouraging these guys to go six innings, to go seven innings. So I think, you know, what we saw from Bibee was probably a product of that. What we’ve seen from Cantillo and Cecconi is a, is a product of that. And you know, the reason, you know, kind of necessity drove them to do this because they lost Class A in the bullpen. They had to cover an extra inning in the bullpen. So, you know, the, the extra inning has come from the starting rotation at least, you know, kind of pushing them a little forward while being very, very careful with them. And that was another reason they went to the six man rotation because most of these starters have, have passed their, you know, their career limits in innings pitched.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And we don’t want to overlook. Gavin Williams has been so solid. Parker Messick, the rookie, has been, what, in four or five, you know, big league starts. He’s, he’s been a revelation just in his ability to go out there and be aggressive and, you know, sort of not care. Gives up a home run and then, and then goes out and retires, you know, 10 straight after that. He’s, he’s, he’s been just really solid. The rotation, like you said, it’s, it’s sort of taking over the role that the bullpen had last season of sort of carrying the team in that regard. They’ve been that way, really, since before the All Star break, but definitely down this last stretch, they’ve, they’ve really turned in some outstanding efforts. And, and we talked to Austin Hedges after the game on Friday. He said this is what we want out of these guys. That’s really the ultimate goal, is to get these guys pitching deep in meaningful games in September and, and that’s with a chance to, to make it to the playoffs. Hedges, you said, you know, he’s not here to, to have feel good stories about the rotation or, you know, developing players. He’s here to, to play meaningful games and reach the playoffs. That’s, his ultimate goal, is to play in the playoffs. And right now they’re positioning themselves at least for an opportunity to get there.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, there’s 13 games left, Joe, like we said earlier, six and a half out in the division and two and a half out of the wild card. I think it’s an uphill. It’s going to be an uphill battle, Joe, but they’ve got a chance. They put themselves in a position where, if they play well and they, they have a legitimate chance to be playing in October. And when, you know, when they were 15 and a half games out after being swept by the Tigers in early July, that, that seemed to be the far this thing from anybody’s mind.
Joe Noga: Yeah. Right now all you really have to think about is somebody has to take care of Houston or Seattle. And then if Texas is the only thing between Cleveland and a wild card spot, they get three games at the end of the year against Texas at home, all three very important games. If, if things go the right way here over the next 10 days. 5 and 1 homestand. They’ve won 10 in their last 12. They went 11 and 2 against the White Sox. How good do you think Tanner Bibee has to feel about himself after the season that he had or that he’s had the up and down of this season to go out knowing that you needed to give your best effort in that game on Friday and you needed to win that game and to go out and pitch the way that he did and just really dominate Chicago. Yeah, Chicago’s lost 92 games. I get it. That’s. It’s not really a big thing, but it’s one thing to say you need to go out and do it and then for him to go out and actually do it, this is a kid who wears his emotions on his sleeve at all times. And you just have to really feel good for Tanner Bibee that he was able to accomplish that.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was a long time coming for Bibee. You know, Joe, he’s had one of those seasons where anything, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. When he’s on the mound, you know, if there’s a bad play behind him, if there’s, you know, a fluke play, if there’s a call goes against him, an umpire makes a bad call, it just, it’s just not a ball. It turns into, you know, a big inning. So he’s, he’s had one of those years. But to see him, you know, perform like he did Friday, a complete game, two hit shutout, 10 strikeouts, he goes a, he throws 103 pitches. So in nine innings, 74 strikes, you know, he was on the top of his game. That’s the best he’s. We’ve seen him all year. And you know, yeah, Chicago is not the 1927 Yankees, but they were, they came in having won nine of their last 11 games. You know, they’re a better team than they were last year when they, what, lost 121 games. So. And, and it wasn’t like it was a cakewalk either. You know, Cleveland wins four to nothing. But this, the Guardians aren’t exactly, you know, putting up, you know, a ton of runs every time, you know, night in and night out. So the starting pitching has been under pressure to perform and Bybee showed how to handle that pressure.
Joe Noga: Yeah, that was exactly it. So what’s the verdict on this six man rotation experiment? Did it work? I would say so. I would say it passed with flying colors.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I mean, I think it was, you know, it was a good, a well conceived idea. You like the thinking behind it to protect the, you know, the pitchers, to control their innings, but to also, you know, it gave them a chance to win as well. And, you know, they, they pitch with, you know, an extra day’s rest. I think that helped at this time of the season as votes Said you probably can’t do it during the year, during the, you know, the, the only thing, the thing that allowed them to do it was the roster’s being expanded to 28. You know, they added Cantillo as the six guy. But if you went with a six man rotation, you know, in the first, what, five, six months of the season, you’d be without, you’d have to go with seven relievers. And that would probably catch up to you, you know, somewhere during the season. And you’d kill your bullpen as well.
Joe Noga: You’d definitely be having to make roster moves every, every time through the rotation, at least just to get a fresh arm in the bullpen if, if a game went sideways on you. So, yeah, I, I, you gotta, you gotta give credit to vote and Carl Willis in the pitching group and, and everybody there thought, you know, we talked to Carl Willis on Sunday morning before the, the finale of the series. He had really positive things to say about all the guys in the rotation. He talked about Parker Messick and, you know, his development there. He also talked about Cade Smith at the back end of the bullpen and, and what it’s taken for him to sort of settle in. That was Smith’s, what, 15th save of the year? I think seven or eight consecutive saves in save opportunities for Smith. Just a lot of, you know, positives there. I asked him about that, that splitter, the, the pitch that, that just sort of looks like otherworldly to, to some hitters coming out of his hand when, you know, when, when he tunnels it off of a fastball and, and Willis said that’s exactly it. The deception that he gets off of that pitch because his fastball release point is so extended really helps make that pitch, you know, for, for Cade Smith at the back of the bullpen. This is, this is where we’re going to see if, you know, his elevation to that, to that spot. In the wake of Emmanuel Clase’s investigation and you know, ultimately likely his, his suspension and removal from the game. You know, we’re going to see how that goes down the stretch now these final 13 games.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he’s really adapted well, Joe. There was some growing pains, you know, a couple games where they got away from him quickly in that ninth inning, but like you said, I think he’s had eight straight saves now. Just, he looks like he’s, he’s really feeling comfortable, a lot more comfortable in, in the bullpen, in the, in the closers role. And I like what Carl said, Carl Willis said about, you know, what he was he went from, you know, kind of a setup role to, you know, really kind of a. A fireman’s role where, where. Where there was ever trouble, no matter if it was a sixth, seventh or eighth inning, they brought him in. Now he’s got to get the final three outs of the game. Now your. Your thought process change. Now you’re in a totally kind of new environment, and, you know, you’ve got to, you know, you depend. You know, it’s a black and white situation. You win the game or you lose the game. So, you know, that. I think that. Take that. That probably took Cade time to adjust to.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you’re not coming in in the sixth, seventh or eighth inning when you need to be ready at any of those points once the starter gets past the fifth. But now everything is just leading you towards being ready in the ninth. So, you know, there, there had to be an adjustment there for, for Smith mentally, and, and he’s made it and it’s worked out, so. Sounds good. All right. I think tomorrow we will jump on and preview the Tiger series. Lots to talk about with Tarek Skubal and then what they might see there, also with Mize and the pitching staff. But also, don’t forget the. The Astros and the Rangers open up a series to begin on Tuesday as well. So, you know, there’s a lot could be happening in the wild card standings in the next couple of days, and we’ll stay on top of all of it here on the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. That’s going to wrap it up for today, and we’ll check back in with you tomorrow.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal.