Steven Kwan and Gosuke Katoh make opening day rosters after impressing in Spring Training

Steven Kwan had a monster spring training going 15-32 for a .469 average to earn a starting spot in the season opener.  He made his MLB debut for the Guardians as the starting right fielder. The 24-year-old went 1-for-2 with two walks on the day in the seventh slot of the lineup. Kwan only appeared in 26 games in Triple-A, but accounted for 32 hits, 14 walks and just eight strikeouts in 103 at-bats.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Former Oregon State outfielder Steven Kwan made is Major League Baseball debut Thursday as the Cleveland Guardians opened their 2022 season against the Kansas City Royals.

Kwan started in right field and batted in the seventh spot of the lineup. He drew two walks and singled in the ninth in a 1-for-2 effort as Cleveland dropped a 3-1 decision to Kansas City.

Kwan played three seasons for Oregon State, from 2016-18, and appeared in 156 games. He batted .319 with 16 doubles, nine triples and three home runs, driving in 66. He also stole 22 bases during his collegiate career.

The Los Gatos, Calif., native helped the Beavers to the College World Series in 2017 and 2018. He was drafted by the then-Cleveland Indians prior to the Beavers’ 2018 visit, in the fifth round.

Source: https://www.si.com/mlb/indians/news/major-takeaways-after-guardians-drop-season-opener-to-royals

 

In most cases, it’s normally about the journey, not the destination. But for career minor leaguer Gosuke Katoh, it’s both.

Originally born in Japan, Katoh’s journey began at an extremely young age as he and his family moved to San Diego, California, when he was just six years old. He didn’t know it back then, of course, but this was the first of many steps he’d take to eventually become a professional baseball player.

Between being drafted by the New York Yankees in 2013, spending nine seasons in the minors and nearly changing his occupation once or twice, the 6-foot-1, 197-pound infielder has certainly overcome plenty of obstacles in his career. Luckily, it wasn’t all for nothing.

In the end, after logging over 3,000 plate appearances across 763 minor league games, the 27-year-old’s determination finally paid off Monday afternoon as it was announced he had made the Toronto Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster.

Now, Katoh is slated to make his major-league debut at some point during the 2022 campaign, which is sure to be a very special moment. As a kid that grew up idolizing Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki, just like so many others did too, his dream of playing at the highest level is about to come true – something he likely didn’t believe was possible a few years ago.