Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels
.172/.196/.222, 1 homer, 10 RBI, 13 wRC+ in 102 PA
If you were wondering who the worst qualified hitter in baseball was at the end of April last year, you no longer have to wonder — it was Calhoun. The above stats make it next-to-impossible to erase a rough start by the end of the year.
Calhoun tried but wasn’t successful. He finished 2018 with a 79 wRC+ and exactly 0.0 fWAR. He actually posted a 109 wRC+ following the All-Star break, but this rough April also turned into an even worse May. Through 83 plate appearances, he produced a wRC+ of -8 that month. No, that’s not a typo.
The outfielder has been on a downward trend since accumulating a career-high 3.5 fWAR in 2016. This is all why he’s got a lot to prove this season. In order to bounce back, the improvements in his batted-ball profile from the first half to the second half of last year need to be sustained.
Prior to this forgettable campaign, he had enjoyed four straight seasons of at least 2.0 fWAR. So he’ll be happy to at least have a shot at re-starting that streak in 2019.
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