Kwan has always been a high contact rate slap hitter with good on-base skills that plays a good CF (and a passable LF/RF too), similar to Straw, but the power has taken off.
His primary questions are health and the pop. The pop being real puts him in the same basket as Benson and Gonzalez for me. He was young for a 3 year college guy and Oregon State hitters have a reputation for having very professional approaches before turning pro and he’s showing that.
He seems to always have issues with his hamstrings. In college, his 1st pro year, and at the beginning of this season he’s dealt with issues that have kept him sidelined a good bit.
I’m a bit skeptical on the HR pop. I’d want to see it stick for another season before rostering him. Right now I think the odds he is added to the 40 man is slim.
His slugging percentage has increased from .382 at high A in 2019 to .565 in AA/AAA this season. Did he spend 2020 lifting weights in his basement?
His slugging percentage at Akron was highest on the team this year except for Oscar Gonzalez and his OBP was the highest. However, he turns 24 tomorrow and if we assume Straw is our centerfielder of the future then Kwan is another left-handed hitting corner OF competing with Josh Naylor, Bradley Zimmer, Nolan Jones, and Daniel Johnson. Not to mention Valera probably by 2023 and Oscar Gonzalez (not a lefty), although there are some who don't think he's a prospect.
What I'm expecting is that we trade Jose Ramirez after next season. He'll have one year left and be a bargain at $14 million. That will open up third base for Nolan Jones and remove one of the outfield prospects, opening up a job in right field for somebody.
Another possibility (in my opinion) is moving Amed to third base and installing Arias at shortstop. Amed's bat plays at third and so would his glove and arm. If Arias is the best defensive shortstop in the system (as I've read) then it makes sense to put him at short. He's only 21.5 years old and is hitting .272/.768 at Columbus. After next year his bat should be ready.
If we traded Josie and Amed after next season we could get quite a haul. They would both have one year of team control left. That would set us up with a 2023 infield of Jones, Arias, Freeman, and Bradley.
The outfield would be some combination of Straw, Zimmer, Naylor, Johnson, Gonzalez, Kwan, Valera, and any outfielders arriving in the Josie and Amed trades.
The rotation would be Bieber, Civale, McKenzie, Quantrill, and either Plesac, Morris, Espino, one of the Logan Allens, or somebody we get in the Josie and Amed trades.
This team could be unreal scary good in '23.