Kole Calhoun has, after three partial seasons and one full season, turned into the very player that everyone expected him to be. An above-average fielding, solid hitting right fielder who is an important part of the current Angels roster. What? That wasn’t what was expected of him? Oh, that’s right, he was expected to be no better then your average, run-of-the-mill fourth outfielder. Maybe I should have specified. Kole Calhoun has turned into the very player that everyone who was paying attention expected him to be. There, that’s better.
Position: RF | Age (2016): 28
Bats: L | Throws: L
Height: 5’10″ | Weight: 200
2015 WAR: 3.0
2015 in a Tweet
I wanted the Angels to trade Kole Calhoun in 2015, and I stand by that choice, just like I do all of my bad choices.
2016 Projections
[table id=152 /]In 2014, the Angels made a bold decision regarding their lineup. They decided to say to hell with tradition, we’re going to put Kole Calhoun in the leadoff spot. And, damnit, it worked. Calhoun finished the 2014 season with a .272/.325/.450 slash line, he scored 90 runs hitting in front of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, and he finished the season posting an fWAR of 3.7. Not a bad opening act for a first full season.
So with Kole Calhoun not being a broken player, the obvious thing for the Angels to do was to leave him alone, right? Wrong. Much to the chagrin of most of us, Mike Scioscia, in all of his wisdom, decided to start tinkering with moving Calhoun around in the lineup. The results? A slightly worse offensive season. Kole’s 2015 season led to a slash line of .256/.308/.422. His ISO went from .178 in 2014 to .167 in 2015. Luckily, Calhoun’s defense made up the difference, and he still finished the season with a 3.8 fWAR and Gold Glove for his efforts. But, it’s hard not to imagine how different his season may have turned out if he had been left alone to hit in front of Trout again.
From ZiPS to Steamer to PECOTA, all of the projection systems are pretty much on board with the idea that Calhoun is good, but not great, player. They expect his batting average to remain constant, while getting on base at a slightly better clip with an improved walk-rate. Me, I think it depends on where Scioscia slots Calhoun into the lineup. If he continues with the nonsense of hitting Calhoun down in the lineup, and behind Trout, expect the projection models to be correct, if not optimistic. If he hits higher in the order, I am a little more optimistic that we will see more of the 2014 Calhoun at the plate. The fate of Calhoun’s bat rests in your hands, Mike Scioscia, don’t mess it up.
Spray Charts
Calhoun isn’t an extreme pull hitter, but he’s a pull hitter. Especially when it comes to his power. Only three of his 25 home runs last year ventured to the left of second base. But when it comes to all other types of batted balls, Calhoun does an adequate, if not good, job of moving the ball around the diamond. In other words, if the Angels are playing the Tampa Bay Rays, they might shift on Kole, but you won’t see three men on the right side of the infield.
Zone Profile
Kole Calhoun suffers from what I like to call “lefty aversion syndrome.” Pitchers do this thing with left handed hitters where they almost never throw pitches middle-in, and Calhoun is no different. Pitchers lit up the outer half, and most notably, the low and away quadrant, on Calhoun in 2015. But, Kole doesn’t really care what pitchers are trying to do. The only place that Calhoun really has trouble with inside of the strike zone, are pitches that are up and in. But don’t let American League pitchers know that, I like that they throw pitches to Calhoun in an area that he hit .379 against said pitches.
Fun Fact
Kole Calhoun is not actually a leprechaun. I know, I know, I was just as sad when I found out. But that would explain why he lost out on the starting right field job in 2013 to J.B. Shuck. No self-respecting mythical creature of Celtic lore would have allowed that to happen.
What to Watch For
Pay attention to where Scioscia slots Calhoun into the lineup, especially early in the season. With reports that Albert Pujols will not be ready by opening day, I expect Calhoun to hit lower in the order. This leads to a more swing happy version of Calhoun, which is not the best version of Calhoun. Once Pujols comes off of the disabled list though, we can all rest assured that Albert will be slotted right into the cleanup spot in the lineup, and hopefully that will send Kole back into the number two slot.
A Bold Prediction
Kole Calhoun will favorite at least one tweet of mine this season. And, if that doesn’t work, my backup prediction is that we will get what should be considered a typical Kole Calhoun season. He’ll be good with the bat, great with the glove, and tons of fun to watch when he gets fired up. He’s such an adorable little firecracker.
___
Previous Previews: Yunel Escobar
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
