The Cleveland Guardians are not expected to win their division this year nor sneak into the playoffs by grabbing that sixth spot.
The expectations are low because the team is so young. But if they were playing in a dynasty keeper league, the Guardians would be the prototype team. On the current roster, only two players are over the age of 30 – relievers Bryan Shaw and Anthony Gose. The everyday lineup features only two players older than 27-years-old – third baseman Jose Ramirez and catcher Austin Hedges, who are both 29.
So when it comes to finding keepers for the rest of the season and beyond, the Guardians are a great team to examine. Owen Wilson and Steven Kwan are two players who quickly come to mind if you are thinking about additions to your team.
Right now, fantasy owners are buying into Kwan a lot more than Miller. Miller is currently rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues and 30% of ESPN leagues. Meanwhile, Kwan is rostered in 78% of Yahoo leagues and 74% of ESPN Leagues.
Is the fantasy playing public making the right call?
Time to find out.
Owen Miller
| Year | Team | PA | AB | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2016-18 | Illinois St. | 775 | 713 | 17 | 127 | 16 | .345 | .383 | .511 |
| 2018-21 | Minors | 1,096 | 987 | 24 | 123 | 9 | .305 | .368 | .450 |
| 2021 | Cleveland | 202 | 191 | 4 | 18 | 2 | .204 | .243 | .309 |
Miller, who is eligible as a first or second baseman, was a standout at Illinois State before being drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft by the San Diego Padres. He was later part of the trade that sent Mike Clevinger to the Padres. So Miller obviously has talent. You can see that by looking at the stats above.
The right-handed hitting Miller has good skills at making contact, compiling a strikeout rate of 15% in college and 16.3% in the minors. However, he is still a bit of a free swinger as he had a walk rate of 5.8% at Illinois State and 7.8% in the minors.
Miller was given a chance last season with Guardians, appearing in 60 games. But he did nothing to show that he was ready for The Show. He slashed .204/.243/.309 in 191 at-bats and had a walk/strikeout rate of 4.5%/26.7%.
Given a second chance this year, Miller is making the most of it. Through the first six games, Miller slashed .524/.545/1.048 with five doubles, two homers and six RBI with only two strikeouts while walking once.
Steven Kwan
| Year | Team | PA | AB | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2016-18 | Oregon St. | 597 | 481 | 3 | 66 | 22 | .329 | .431 | .418 |
| 2018-21 | Minors | 947 | 827 | 15 | 88 | 20 | .301 | .380 | .438 |
Like Miller, Kwan was an outstanding college player at Oregon State and was drafted in the fifth round by Cleveland in 2018. Kwan carried his success in college into his professional career in the minors. While Miller is more likely to collect an extra base hit, Kwan excels at making contact. In his career, he has compiled more walks than strikeouts.
At Oregon State, he racked up 82 walks compared to only 38 walks and in his minor league career, he had 100 walks while striking out only 87 times. His amazing ability has carried over to his first week in the majors. In Cleveland’s first six games, he walked eight times with only one strikeout while slashing .526/.655/.737.
Kwan has even added power to his game in the last year. After hitting only three homers at OSU and another three his first two years in pro ball, Kwan came back after the missed 2020 COVID year to slug 12 homers while slashing .328/.407/.527 in Double-A and Triple-A combined last season.
A Quick Breakdown
Miller as a first baseman is not going to compare to others at that position. He has more of a line drive stroke, which is great for doubles but will likely yield 15 homers per season. But he can also play second, which allows him to compare more favorably to others at that position. Miller has played shortstop in his career as well and it would not be surprising to see him learn to play some third base and perhaps left field and transition into a utility player. He can steal some bases as well but isn’t considered a threat.
Kwan simply has elite contact skills thanks to a short, compact swing from the left side of the plate. Thanks to implementing a bit of a leg kick at the plate, he has increased his power as well. With Myles Straw in center field, Kwan has been playing mostly left field for the Guardians as he has a below-average arm. Otherwise, he is an above-average outfielder, which will make it easier to keep him in the lineup. And while he does not have great speed, he will likely swipe 10-15 bags.
The Verdict
Going forward, neither player is going to be someone you build your team around. That is obvious by the lack of interest in these two players entering the fantasy season. But both Miller and Kawn hold value moving forward.
But in the end, I think Kwan will hold a little more value than Miller. I know everyone loves the long ball, both in real life and in the fantasy world. But players like Kwan don’t come along very often. In points leagues, he is a dream to have thanks to the fact he never strikes out. He will hit for average and boost your team OBP and thanks to his adjustment at the plate to drive the ball more, he won’t kill you in the slugging percentage department. Kwan will also collect more steals, helping you in that department as well.
It is a close race, but in a vacuum and having to choose between the two, I’d take Kwan.
