Willie Calhoun

Calhoun was the key return for Texas when it sent Yu Darvish to the Dodgers at the 2017 trade deadline. He had a breakout season in 2019, but then took a Julio Urias fastball to the face in 2020 spring training just before everything was shut down and struggled through the shortened season once he returned. This past season was derailed when he suffered a fractured forearm from a Kris Bubic fastball and needed surgery to repair the fracture. The past two seasons have been a wash for the talented hitter with 2022 an opportunity to recover his value. He appears to be the projected leadoff hitter in Texas when a righty is on the mound in front of the newly acquired hitters, which should help his runs scored total. Calhoun may also earn more at bats against lefties should he show he is fully recovered from the 2020 and 2021 traumas inflicted on him by southpaw pitchers. Do not write him off just yet.

A shortened 2020 turned out to be a disaster at the plate for Calhoun, who finished the year with a .190/.231/.260 slash line, one home run and 13 RBI in 100 at-bats (29 games). He entered the year coming off the best performance of his brief career, smashing 21 long balls and driving in 48 over just 83 contests, but he wasn't able to build off that performance, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners. Despite Calhoun's struggles, it was reassuring to see that his K% remain at 15.7, the same as in 2019, and his exit velocity also was similar to his breakout season (89.3 mph). Opposing pitchers did appear to take notice of Calhoun's success in 2019, throwing fastballs to the slugger just 40.3% of the time in 2020, compared to 51.7% in 2019. The 26-year-old will attempt to start anew in 2021, as he's poised to see everyday playing time in left field and in the DH slot for the Rangers.

It took a couple of seasons after the Rangers traded Yu Darvish to acquire him, but Calhoun finally had a breakout year. The 24-year-old took advantage of injuries in Texas to get playing time and showed his offensive potential, posting a .269/.323/.524 line in 337 plate appearances. The 21 homers and 99 runs-plus-RBI in half a season were impressive, as was the hard contact he made throughout the season once he stayed in the lineup. He struggled against fellow lefties, as his BA was 65 points better against righties and 14 of his 21 homers came off righties. However, his plate-discipline numbers did not have the big split we often see from youngsters, which is an encouraging sign for him moving forward. The new park in Arlington will present a new offensive environment for Calhoun and the rest of the Rangers, but it does appear that it will favor lefty sluggers.

Calhoun opened the season at Triple-A Round Rock, ostensibly to work on his defense, but also with team control in mind. Unlike in most instances, the defense excuse held water as the second-baseman-turned-outfielder is best suited at designated hitter. Calhoun was promoted at the All-Star break after slashing a modest .294/.351/.431 for the Express. He was sent back down Aug. 10, returning when rosters expanded. With the Rangers, Calhoun never got in a groove, especially with respect to power. His normally stingy strikeout rate rose and when he did make contact, it often lacked authority. He didn't have enough batted-ball events to qualify, but in the limited sample, his exit velocity and especially barrels were low in large part due to struggles facing lefty pitching. Calhoun should be afforded the chance to break camp at minimum facing all right-handed pitchers. There's still a chance he plays full time, just don't pay for it this season.

Here’s how the Willie Calhoun drinking game works: Every time a baseball writer on Twitter says something along the lines of, “Willie Calhoun can flat out hit,” you take a drink. If you had been playing this game when Calhoun was sent to Texas as the headliner in the deadline deal that sent Yu Darvish to the Dodgers, you may have ended up in detox. The man is good at hitting. He would have to be, considering he is built like a bowling ball and is a below-average defender at every position. Calhoun’s strikeout rate was never higher than 15.9 percent in the minors and his wRC+ was never lower than 123, while always being young for his level. He played second base with the Dodgers, but will be deployed in left field and at DH with the Rangers. Given how bad he is defensively, there’s a chance he sits against lefties, as he projects to do most of his damage via a pull-heavy approach against righties. He will spend most, if not all of the season in the majors.

Calhoun showed impressive power from the left side of the plate in 2016. Despite standing at just 5-foot-8, the 21-year-old clubbed 27 home runs and tallied 88 RBI in 132 games at Double-A Tulsa. The power surge did come at a cost, though; Calhoun hit a career-low .254. Still, Calhoun may have been unlucky, as he sported a low BABIP (.242). Indeed, Calhoun is not a high-strikeout player, as the second baseman fanned just 65 times in those 132 contests. It remains to be seen where Calhoun will end up playing in the field, as his defense is suspect. Still, Calhoun's power potential combined with the ability to make contact may force the Dodgers to find a place for him to play. Calhoun should start 2017 at Triple-A, with the chance to see the majors before the year is through.

Of the players selected outside of the first 100 picks in last year’s draft, Calhoun is the most intriguing. The 5-foot-9 second basemen slipped, because that is what happens to diminutive players who have already been pigeonholed at the keystone. However, Andrew Friedman clearly had his eyes on Calhoun, as he had previously drafted him in the 17th round in 2013 with the Rays, but was unable to sign him. Calhoun immediately rewarded Friedman’s persistence, slashing .316/.390/.519 with 11 home runs in 73 games across three levels. His rapid ascension to High-A after getting drafted almost exactly mirrors that of the No. 2 overall pick, Alex Bregman, only Calhoun hit for more power and is seven months younger than Bregman. After playing 20 games at High-A to close out the year, he could head back there at the start of 2016, and should remain on a fast track to the majors if he continues to hit.