Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Michael Lane

Major League Baseball announced their monthly awards for April on Monday, and a pair of Cape League alumni were honored.

Steve Kwan (Wareham '17) was named the American League Rookie of the Month for his breakout performance with the Cleveland Guardians. Kwan slashed .354/.459/.500 over the course of April, including seven RBIs and 10 Runs. Kwan succesfully reached base in 12 of his 15 appearances in April, contributing to his OBP ranking third amongst qualified hitters in the MLB. 

Kwan entered the season ranked only 15th in the Guardians farm system, but has carried a strong Spring Training performance into the season and earned himself an everyday role. During his time on the Cape, Kwan showed the same strong skills at the plate hitting .304 along with a .381 OBP. Most impressive though, in 136 plate appearances he struck out just nine total times, good for a strikeout rate of just 6.6%. Ryan Fagan of SportingNews wrote a piece last month on Kwan journey to the Majors, including his summer in the Cape.

Logan Gilbert (Orleans '17) was named the American League Pitcher of the Month. The second-year pitcher finished April 3-0 with a league-leading 0.40 ERA (one earned run over 22.1 innings). Gilbert carried his success into May, getting the win Sunday afternoon in which he allowed just one run over 5.2 innings.

On the season Gilbert is now 4-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 28 innings. Gilbert finished his rookie season in 2021 with a 4.68 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 24 starts. He showed flashes at times of being a top of the line starter for a young Mariners team, including a strong September which he finished with a 2.70 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 33.1 innings. 

A Cape League All-Star in 2017, Gilbert finished his summer with a 1.72 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over 31.1 innings. He had four outings that summer in which he pitcher five or more innings and allowed no earned runs.