By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Oregon State outfielder Steven Kwan went in the fifth round in the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday.
Cleveland selected the center fielder who has been an outstanding lead off hitter for the Beavers.
Kwan is from Fremont, California where he attended Washington High School. He’s batting .349 and has 38 RBIs.
According to the Oregon State fan blog Building the Dam, Kwan has become a fan favorite in his three years with the team.
His father Raymond Kwan told AsAmNews his son will report to the Cleveland minor league system while continuing to work in the off season to complete his college degree.
According to Oregon Live, a Cleveland executive phoned Steven while he was having lunch.
“He said, ‘We’re taking ya,’ and I was like, ‘Holy cow, are you sure?'” Kwan said to Oregon Live. “They’re like, ‘Yep, we’re coming up pretty soon, so that’s your pick.’ I don’t know, maybe they were messing with me or something. That was pretty crazy.”
The pick comes with a $303,000 signing bonus, but his father says Steven won’t get all the money until he plays at least four years with Cleveland.
“You should get a pretty good assessment of whether you are going to go to the show by then,” Raymond Kwan said.
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