Overshadowed by the greatest player on the planet and overall poor team play, stands Kole Calhoun, a legitimate Top 5 RF in the game today. Let’s be honest with each other: I sleep on him, you sleep on him, and he even sleeps on himself (the contract extension he signed this offseason is an absolute steal for the Halos). At 5’10” 205 lbs., Calhoun looks more like a linebacker than a Gold-Glove winning outfielder; our eyes are playing tricks on us. As we hope and pray that a certain athlete’s physical build evolves into on-the-field production (i.e. Jorge Soler), we sometimes miss the gems that fall right through the cracks. For every Carlos Correa, Mike Trout, or Kris Bryant, there’s a Jose Altuve or Kole Calhoun.
When I started to study Calhoun’s career, I noticed something staggering: he walked nearly 50% more in 2016 than he did in 2015 (45 to 67). In a matter of one year, Calhoun went from having a poor walk rate to an above average walk rate. It showed in his OBP; it was a remarkable 23% higher in 2016 (.271/.348/.438) than in 2014 (.272/.325/.450), all while having identical batting averages. It’s typical for a veteran to improve their plate discipline as they mature, but to see that big of an increase that quickly is impressive.
Not only was Calhoun putting up impressive offensive stats, he also added a Gold Glove to his repertoire in 2015. Note in the table below, Calhoun ranks third in DEF, which measures a player’s defensive value relative to league average, and ranks second in UZR, which quantifies how many runs a player saved in the field. The guy can flat out play defense and does so at a higher level than most guys not named Jason Heyward.
| Fangraph’s Defensive Metrics | 2014-2016 Outcome |
| DEF | 7.1 |
| UZR | 26.3 |
| UZR/150 games | 9.2 |
| DRS | .9 |
It’s hard to believe the guy that looks like he’s playing the wrong sport is one of the best at his position. That’s when I realized his greatest strength: consistency. BABIP is a statistic that looks at how often non-home run batted balls fall for hits. It allows you to see how much luck was a factor in their success or failures. In the last three years, Calhoun’s BABIP has strayed no more than 5% from his career average.
In his first full three seasons in the big leagues, Kole Calhoun ranks 9th among RF in fWAR, totaling 11.4 since 2014. Like everything else about his career, you must dig deeper. Calhoun ranked 7th in 2014 (3.7), 7th in 2015 (3.8), and 5th in 2016 (4.0). In those three years, 13 right fielders ranked higher than him at one point or another. How many of those 13 ranked higher than Calhoun more than once? Three: Nelson Cruz, Jason Heyward, and Jose Bautista. Have I mentioned Kole Calhoun’s consistency?
Next time you’re debating with your friends about the most consistent, well-rounded players in baseball, throw a name out there they won’t be ready for: Kole Calhoun. If you aren’t convinced after reading this post then I don’t know what to tell you. He is a key reason why the Angels have the best outfield in the big leagues; heck, if they put me in left field, I think they would still have the best outfield (don’t sleep on my arm). As his reputation continues to grow, look for Calhoun to see a steady dosage of All-Star appearances. When it happens, he’ll be more than deserving of it.
For more baseball statistics from your favorite player’s in the game today, make sure you check out www.fangraphs.com
