What To Expect: Willie Calhoun

The Rangers didn’t plan to bring Willie Calhoun up this September, but now that they’ve been hit by more injuries (Adrian Beltre and Carlos Gomez), they’ve called him up to provide some needed reinforcement in left field and at designated hitter.

The key prospect the Rangers received in return for sending Yu Darvish to the Dodgers, Calhoun has always hit. He led all junior college hitters in home runs (31) in 2015 and he’s been equally power proficient as a pro. He hit 11 in a half season in pro ball in 2015, 27 home runs with Double-A Tulsa in 2016 and 31 homers this year and he’s done so while hitting for average.

SCOUTING REPORT

Calhoun is one of the best hitters in the minors with a chance to hit for power and average.

He’s short, but he’s strong with plus productive power and an aggressive-but-compact swing that combines contact and power. He steps into the batter’s box looking to cause damage, but he manages to do so while generate loads of contact—he struck out just 11 percent of the time this season.

The concern for Calhoun has always been where will he play. Since he became a Ranger, he’s played just two games at second base. He’s better in left field. He’s below-average there, but there’s hope he can be a playable left fielder with adequate reads, but his well-below-average speed limits his range.

WHAT TO EXPECT

For the long-term, Calhoun could be an extremely useful fantasy baseball player because of his ability to hit for average and power. His defensive limitations don’t affect the fantasy player and now that he’s in the American League, designated hitter is a regular option. He’s worth acquiring in any long-term dynasty league.