Kole Calhoun has become the forgotten man for LA Angels

The LA Angels improved their outfield immensely by re-signing Justin Upton to solidify left field. However, no one is talking much about right fielder Kole Calhoun. Calhoun had a down year in 2017. How will 2018 be for the ‘Red Baron’?

When the LA Angels named Kole Calhoun as their every day starter in 2014 they were expecting big things from the Arizona State alum as he had shown great promise toward the of the 2013 season.

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Calhoun suffered a wrist injury early in 2014 so his rookie year was not as strong as he or the Angels had hoped, but it was still solid. In 2015 Calhoun came on strong and set career-highs in home runs with 26 and RBIs with 83, despite seeing his batting average dip to .256 and he also struck out 164 times. Calhoun also took home his first career Gold Glove in right field as well.

In 2016 Calhoun bounced back to have a solid season with 18 homers and 75 RBIs and he raised his batting average to .271 an had a career-high .348 OBP. He also struck out only 118 times which was a big improvement.

Then came 2017 and the wheels fell off for Calhoun. The ‘Red Baron’ dropped to a career-low batting average of .241 and he struggled again with 134 strikeouts. He did hit 19 home runs and drive in 71 runs as well as sporting a respectable .333 OBP, but as a whole the year could be labeled a disappointment.

So that brings us to the upcoming 2018 season. What can the Angels expect out of the very talented, but inconsistent Calhoun? Just as I have said before, the additions to the Angel line-up this off-season should benefit Calhoun. He will not be looked upon as much for power and run production with Justin Upton and Zack Cozart in the fold.

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With this being the case I think Calhoun will flourish in this year’s Angel line-up. Calhoun could find himself in many different spots in the batting order depending on the success of others. Calhoun could be used in the second spot to give the Angels a left-handed bat early in the order to break-up all the righties in the line-up.

Calhoun could also find himself in the 5th-7th spot as well and again this will depend on other players in the Angel line-up. I think wherever Calhoun lands in the line-up he could be in for a solid 2018 season.

One thing that we know for sure is that he will be part of one of the best outfields in baseball, both offensively and defensively. The Angels biggest strength will be their outfield in 2018. It’s not hard when you have Mike Trout and Justin Upton beside you.

Next: Zack Cozart will be big for Angels in 2018

Here’s hoping for a strong season from Kole Calhoun as he is truly one of the nicest guys you will meet and he is also very talented. Let’s see what happens.

The LA Angels improved their outfield immensely by re-signing Justin Upton to solidify left field. However, no one is talking much about right fielder Kole Calhoun. Calhoun had a down year in 2017. How will 2018 be for the ‘Red Baron’?

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